Green growth and environmental sustainability in China: the role of environmental taxes

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study aims to investigate the impact of environmental-related taxes on green growth and CO2 emissions in China covering the time 1996–2019....     

The role of electricity consumption,capital, labor force,carbon emissions on economic growth: implication for environmental sustainability targets in Nigeria

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Despite consistent investments, grants, and other concessions in the power sector, nationwide power outages still remain an issue, even in 2020,...     

The Gas Supply Situation in the United States

The body of information presented in this paper is directed to those individuals who require information on the present natural gas supply and demand relationship and the prospects for future changes, including individuals concerned with air quality control and the use of natural gas for combating air pollution.

If natural gas could continue to capture large shares of the energy market, as in the past when supply was not a growth inhibiting factor, annual demand for gas is projected to increase to 34.5 and 46.4 trillion cubic feet in 1980 and 1990, respectively. Annual production levels which could be supported by presently proven reserves and anticipated future reserve additions are estimated to peak in the mid-1970’s and decline to about 18 trillion cubic feet in 1990.

When viewed from the perspective of anticipated indigenous supply deficiencies, the acquisition of supplemental sources of gas becomes of paramount importance. Pipeline imports, the only substantive supplemental source presently available, could almost double by 1980 and be about 2 trillion cubic feet annually in 1990.

Available volumes of gas from Alaska could be 0.7 trillion cubic feet in 1980 and could increase to 2.3 trillion cubic feet annually by 1990. Actual initial deliveries of gas are inextricably related to construction of an oil pipeline from Prudhoe Bay. Construction delays postpone initial delivery dates for gas as well as oil.

Advancements in cryogenic transportation and storage technologies have made the heretofore largely untapped supplies of gas from several countries with limited internal markets available to the United States as LNG. Annual LNG imports could be about 0.3 trillion cubic feet in 1975 and perhaps 2 and 4 trillion cubic feet by 1980 and 1990, respectively.

Pipeline quality gas from coal presents the prospect for a supplemental source of gaseous fuel independent of foreign sources and free from balance of payments problems. The first pipeline quality gas from coal may be expected by 1976, and by 1980 perhaps 0.3 trillion cubic feet could be provided annually from this source; in 1990, 3.3 trillion cubic feet might be available. An additional, but presently unqualified, source of synthetic gas will be the conversion of liquid hydrocarbons.

In the aggregate, supplemental gas supplies are anticipated to total about 4.6 and 11.5 trillion cubic feet annually by 1980 and 1990, respectively. While demand for gas is anticipated to increase, domestic conventional gas production is projected to peak in the mid-1970’s and decrease somewhat thereafter. As a consequence, a continuing gas supply-demand imbalance is anticipated.     

Renewables as a pathway to environmental sustainability targets in the era of trade liberalization: empirical evidence from Turkey and the Caspian countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The quest for improved environmental quality through low-carbon emission has been explored in this study in the wake of the growing call for a...     

The impact of transpacific transport of mineral dust in the United States

We use a global chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) to estimate the impact of transpacific transport of mineral dust on aerosol concentrations in North America during 2001. We have implemented two dust mobilization schemes in the model (GOCART and DEAD) and find that the best simulation of North American surface observations with GEOS-Chem is achieved by combining the topographic source used in GOCART with the entrainment scheme used in DEAD. This combination restricts dust emissions to year-round arid areas but includes a significant wind threshold for dust mobilization. The model captures the magnitude and seasonal cycle of observed surface dust concentrations over the northern Pacific. It simulates the free tropospheric outflow of dust from Asia observed in the TRACE-P and ACE-Asia aircraft campaigns of spring 2001. It reproduces the timing and distribution of Asian dust outbreaks in North America during April–May. Beyond these outbreaks we find persistent Asian fine dust (averaging 1.2 μg m⁻³) in surface air over the western United States in spring, with much weaker influence (0.25 μg m⁻³) in summer and fall. Asian influence over the eastern United States is 30–50% lower. We find that transpacific sources accounted for 41% of the worst dust days in the western United States in 2001.     

The nexus between environmental regulations,economic growth,and environmental sustainability: linking environmental patents to ecological footprint reduction in South Asia

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Environmental sustainability has become a major concern for policymakers across the globe. In this regard, understanding the factors responsible for...     

Towards a green economic policy framework in China: role of green investment in fostering clean energy consumption and environmental sustainability

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Recently, China has relished rapid green investment, and its influence on clean energy consumption and environment is substantial. Therefore, this...     

Particulate Air Pollution In the United States

A study was conducted to identify, characterize, and quantify the national particulate air pollution problem from stationary sources. Particulate emissions from stationary sources were determined from data on emission factors, grain loadings, and material balances. The principal method used for establishing the tonnage emitted by an industry utilized uncontrolled emission factors. Total tonnage emitted by a given industry was calculated from four quantities: (1) an emission factor for the uncontrolled source; (2) the total tonnage processed per year by the industry; (3) the efficiency of control equipment used; and (4) the percentage of production capacity equipped with control devices.

Particulate emissions from stationary sources in the United States currently total approximately 18 X 10⁶ ton/yr. The major stationary sources of particulates include electric power generation plants, the crushed stone industry, the forest products industry, agriculture and related operations, the cement industry, and the iron and steel industry.

Three methods were developed to project the total quantity of particulate pollutants emitted up to the year 2000. In making these forecasts, these factors were considered (1) changes in production capacity; (2) improvements in control devices; and (3) regulatory action to enforce installation of control equipment.

These forecasts indicate that particulate emissions can be reduced from the current level of 18 X 10⁶ ton/yr to 3 X 10⁶ ton/yr by 2000 based on the most optimistic forecast. The projections also suggest that major reductions of particulate matter will most likely occur by installation of control equipment on uncontrolled sources and by shifts to more efficient types of collection equipment on existing controlled sources.     

The impacts of COVID-19 on the environmental sustainability: a perspective from the Southeast Asian region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study examined the impacts of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the environment in the Southeast Asia region using qualitative content...     

Soil-air exchange of organochlorine pesticides in the Southern United States

Soil samples were collected from 30 farms in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas during 1999-2000 to determine residues of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs). One or more of the DDT compounds (p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDD, p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDE) was above the quantitation limit (0.1 ng g(-1) dry weight) in every soil, and toxaphene was above the quantitation limit (3 ng g(-1)) in 26 soils. Chlordanes, dieldrin and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers occurred less frequently (quantitation limits 0.1 ng g(-1) for dieldrin and 0.05 ng g(-1) for chlordanes and HCHs). OCPs were measured in air at 40 cm above the soil at selected farms to investigate soil-air partitioning. Concentrations of OCPs in air were positively and significantly (P<0.001-0.004) correlated to soil concentrations for toxaphene, p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, dieldrin, and trans-nonachlor. The regression was weaker (P=0.022) for cis-chlordane and not significant for trans-chlordane (P=0.43) nor gamma-HCH (P=0.80). Approach to soil-air equilibrium was assessed by calculating fugacities in the soil and air (f(s) and f(a)) for samples with quantifiable residues in both compartments. The fugacity fraction f(s)=0.5 at equilibrium and is <0.5 or >0.5 for net deposition and net volatilisation, respectively. Fugacity fractions varied greatly for different soil-air pairs, reflecting generally disequilibrium conditions. Mean fugacity fractions indicated near-equilibrium for some OCPs (p,p'-DDE, chlordanes, trans-nonachlor and dieldrin) and net volatilisation for others (p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT, toxaphene, gamma-HCH). Chiral analysis showed that enantioselective degradation of (+) or (-) o,p'-DDT in soil was accompanied by enrichment or depletion of the corresponding enantiomers in the overlying air, although there appeared to be some dilution by racemic o,p'-DDT from regional air transport.     

Temporal variability of selected air toxics in the United States

Ambient measurements of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs, air toxics) collected in the United States from 1990 to 2005 were analyzed for diurnal, seasonal, and/or annual variability and trends. Visual and statistical analyses were used to identify and quantify temporal variations in air toxics at national and regional levels. Sufficient data were available to analyze diurnal variability for 14 air toxics, seasonal variability for 24 air toxics, and annual trends for 26 air toxics. Four diurnal variation patterns were identified and labeled invariant, nighttime peak, morning peak, and daytime peak. Three distinct seasonal patterns were identified and labeled invariant, cool, and warm. Multiple air toxics showed consistent decreasing trends over three trend periods, 1990–2005, 1995–2005, and 2000–2005. Trends appeared to be relatively consistent within chemically similar pollutant groups. Hydrocarbons such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene, styrene, xylene, and toluene decreased by approximately 5% or more per year at more than half of all monitoring sites. Concentrations of carbonyl compounds such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and propionaldehyde were equally likely to have increased or decreased at monitoring sites. Chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as tetrachloroethylene, dichloromethane, and methyl chloroform decreased at more than half of all monitoring sites, but decreases among these species were much more variable than among the hydrocarbons. Lead particles decreased in concentration at most monitoring sites, but trends in other metals were not consistent over time.     

Investigating the links between ICTs,passenger transportation,and environmental sustainability

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper investigates linkages between ICTs, passenger transportation, and environmental sustainability with regard to a panel dataset of 46...     

Targeting lead in the multimedia environment in the continental United States

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) lead attainment strategy for air is being expanded to address geographic areas with the potential for multimedia, multipathway exposures to lead. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is used to coordinate information from various databases to identify areas of potential concern. The data retrieval and decision processes used in identifying priority sources from each medium and in evaluating identified areas of concern are described in this paper. Only EPA databases with reliable locational information were used to facilitate accurate mapping and allow correlation with other data sources. The sources of lead loadings to air, water, and soils were mapped using either latitude and longitude or zip code, or county centroids for data lacking longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates (such as the drinking water data). A multimedia cluster of lead sources was identified at the county level, since all the facility data in the five databases could be mapped to this level. An impact factor and weighting system was devised to combine the information on the number of facilities and their relative size in developing a ranking of the multimedia lead clusters of concern in each region. The counties with the highest number of points were considered clusters of highest concern for multimedia lead sources. Two separate lists of the clusters were developed according to a point system. One identified 10 multimedia lead clusters in each of the 10 EPA regions, and the other identified the 100 clusters of highest concern in the country as a whole. The project is designed to be a first step in targeting future efforts to identify potential environmental problems associated with lead. The analyses presented in this paper provide a first look at the areas in the country where there is a potential for multimedia exposure to lead. A more refined analysis at the zip code level was subsequently developed to provide a good understanding of the issues pertaining to potential exposure at the neighborhood level. The results of this analysis will ultimately help the EPA and the states to target implementation and enforcement in areas of high potential lead exposures.     

Performance analysis and optimization of solar-powered E-rickshaw for environmental sustainability in rural transportation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The last mile connectivity through public transport is a challenging task in India. However, according to the Society of Indian Automotive...     

Sources of acidity in lakes and streams of the United States

Acidic (acid neutralizing capacity [ANC] < or = 0) surface waters in the United States sampled in the National Surface Water Survey (NSWS) were classified into three groups according to their probable sources of acidity: (1) organic-dominated waters (organic anions > SO4*; (2) watershed sulphate-dominated waters (watershed sulphate sources > deposition sulphate sources); and (3) deposition-dominated waters (anion chemistry dominated by inputs of sulphate and nitrate derived from deposition). The classification approach is highly robust; therefore, it is a useful tool in segregating surface waters into chemical categories. An estimated 75% (881) of acidic lakes and 47% (2190) of acidic streams are dominated by acid anions from deposition and are probably acidic due to acidic deposition. In about a quarter of the acidic lakes and streams, organic acids were the dominant source of acidity. In the remaining 26% of the acidic streams, watershed sources of sulphate, mainly from acid mine drainage, were the dominant source of acidity.     

Trends in atmospheric reactive nitrogen for the Eastern United States

Reactive nitrogen can travel far from emission sources and impact sensitive ecosystems. From 2002 to 2006, policy actions have led to decreases in NO(x) emissions from power plants and motor vehicles. In this study, atmospheric chemical transport modeling demonstrates that these emissions reductions have led to a downward trend in ambient measurements of transported reactive nitrogen, especially atmospheric concentrations and wet deposition of nitrate. The trend in reduced nitrogen, namely ammonium, is ambiguous. As reduced nitrogen becomes a larger fraction of the reactive nitrogen budget, wide-spread NH(3) measurements and improved NH(3) emissions assessments are a critical need.