Developing principles of good practice in integrated environmental assessment

In integrated environmental assessment, unlike many other fields of quantitative social and environmental science, there is a keen awareness of the need for quality and assurance, and principles of good practice. This paper explores what is involved in developing and maintaining good practice. The problems of quality assurance in such a field, apparently scientific but in practice something else, must be confronted. The existing approaches to effective practice are scrutinized the pitfalls of the quantitative path, the perils of GIGO with computers, and the hazards of modelling. The struggles of modellers with uncertainty are chronicled, first by recalling the IIASA energy study, and then reviewing J. van der Sluijs's research. The spectre haunting all these mathematical socio-environmental sciences is 'immaturity'; this is explored, and analogies are drawn with the design disciplines and history. Finally, the insights of 'Post-Normal Science' are applied, with the distinction between research and professional practice, the qualitative analysis of quantitative information, and the usefulness of the pedigree category in characterising nformation quality. The Post-Normal approach is discussed as a possible way forward from the insoluble problems of achieving good practice, and maintaining quality, in the field when it is conceived in purely quantitative terms.     

MIRABEL: models for integrated review and assessment of biodiversity in European landscapes

In this paper, we present the methodology and some results from the application of an integrating conceptual framework, MIRABEL, to analyze the consequences of environmental change for biodiversity. For 28 European countries, MIRABEL tabulates changes in the status of threatened habitats predicted to result from 10 environmental pressures. Regional variations in the severity of the pressures and impacts are taken into account by compiling separate impact tables for each of 13 Ecological Regions. Results suggest that agricultural intensification is one of the main threats, however, differences recorded by MIRABEL in the intensity of the pressures, their rate of change and their past and expected impacts on biodiversity in the various Ecological Regions is telling evidence of Europe's biogeographical variety, and of the need to take this into consideration when assessing environmental change.     

Human health and environmental risk assessment: the need for a more harmonised and integrated approach

Historically the procedures for human risk assessment and for risk assessment have developed separately with different terminologies and separate data bases. The identification that there are many common features and that sharing of certain types of data for risk assessment purposes would be beneficial is a driver towards a better integration of their procedures. Risk assessors are facing increasing challenges from governments, stimulated by public pressure for (i) human and environmental risk assessments of an ever growing number of products and processes, (ii) further restrictions of the use of animal tests and human studies on ethical grounds, (iii) the requirement to demonstrate that the assessments are independent, transparent and of high quality, (iv) reducing resources in particular a diminishing number of individuals with the scientific depth, breadth and independence act as risk assessors, (v) the need to incorporate new sciences continually and new discoveries into the risk assessment process. It is important for society that these challenges are met successfully. This requires changes in both risk assessment procedures and in the infrastructure needed to support them. Risk assessment is a science based process for establishing the likelihood of adverse effects to human health and to the environment from specific chemical, biological and physical agents. In the last few years there has been a renewed effort, by international bodies such as WHO, OECD and the EU, to achieve a more integrated and harmonised approach to risk assessment. Before examining the potential for a more integrated approach to risk assessment it is timely to consider the key factors which have led to the current position.     

Implications of research on endocrine disruption for the environmental risk assessment, regulation and monitoring of chemicals in the European Union

We assess the implications which research on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has for the regulation of synthetic substances and for the protection of the environment, particularly under the forthcoming European Union (EU) REACH legislation. EDCs present regulatory problems inter alia because they can act additively at concentrations which are individually harmless, and they may have non-classical dose (concentration)-response relationships at low exposure levels. Furthermore, current in vivo testing routines were not specifically designed to assess the endocrine disrupting properties of chemicals, whilst in silico and in vitro methods have only limited applicability and availability for this purpose. We need to ensure that the assessment approaches specified in the draft REACH legislation and Technical Guidance are able to evaluate EDCs efficiently. However, it must also be recognised that environmental monitoring procedures in Europe will need to be improved to detect EDCs that have evaded identification, and where appropriate, control, under REACH.     

An integrated test strategy for the assessment of anaerobic biodegradability of wastewaters

The anaerobic biodegradability of wastewaters from different chemical plants was determined by an integrated test strategy consisting of an anaerobic toxicity test, a static anaerobic biodegradation test and a continuously operated fixed bed reactor test. This integrated procedure offered a useful tool for screening wastewaters for anaerobic biodegradability. Four different wastewaters were tested for anaerobic toxicity and biodegradability. One wastewater was used in subsequent testing in a fixed bed reactor which aimed to illustrate a potential design of an anaerobic treatment plant.     

Environmental information system for visualizing environmental impact assessment information

The Institute of Environmental Engineering at the University of Pannonia has undertaken the challenge to develop an online environmental information system. This system is able to receive and process the collected environmental data via Internet. The authors have attached importance to the presentation of the data and have included other comprehensible information for laymen as well in order to work out visualisation techniques that are expressive and attract attention for environmental questions through the developed information system. The ways of visualizing physical and chemical parameters of surface water and the effects of motorway construction were examined.     

香港区域发展策略性环境影响评价的实践探讨

香港区域发展的策略性环境影响评价(简称环评)从20世纪80年代起步,已形成包括行政规定和法例规定的制度框架,其策略性环评的实践范围也逐步从规划、计划向政策、策略扩展.从评价过程、评价方法、公众参与时段安排、决策出发点等方面分析了2个香港区域发展的策略性环评案例.结果表明,为使策略性环评取得预想的成果并有助于可持续发展,...     

Opportunities for a probabilistic risk assessment of chemicals in the European Union

In risk assessment of new and existing substances, it is current practice to characterise risk using a deterministic quotient of the exposure concentration, or the dose, and a no-effect level. A sense of uncertainty is tackled by introducing worst-case assumptions in the methodology. Since this procedure leads to an assessment with an unknown degree of conservatism, it is advisable to deal quantitatively with uncertainties. This paper discusses the advantages and possibilities of a probabilistic risk assessment framework, illustrated with an example calculation. Furthermore, representatives of EU Member States and the chemical industry were interviewed to find out their views on applying uncertainty analysis to risk assessment of industrial chemicals.     

Environmental assessment of the poultry sector of CFPR/TUP programme: experience of BRAC's ultra-poor poultry programme

An environmental assessment of the poultry sector of 'Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction/Targeting the Ultra Poor Program (CFPR/TUP)' programme of BRAC has been conducted. Special focus was given to health and environmental aspects of poultry rearing, including the housing and diseases of both humans and poultry, the surrounding environment, access to and sources of water, waste management, common property resources, and social conflicts related to the poultry programme. Data were collected through field observations, in-depth interviews, and case studies during August 2003. Poultry rearing was found to be a promising income-generating activity for the ultra poor. A few obstacles related to health, resource use, resource management, and social conflicts were identified. There were some innovative initiatives taken by the TUP poultry members related to waste management, other sources of income and water access. Some steps were suggested to resolve social conflicts and health problems, to improve poultry housing and waste marketing, to increase nutritional intake and initiate intermediate income-generating projects, and to highlight management issues of common property resource.     

Optimization of integrated water quality management for agricultural efficiency and environmental conservation

The scarcity of water resources in Egypt has necessitated the use of various types of lower quality water. Agricultural drainage water is considered a strategic reserve for meeting increasing freshwater demands. In this study, a novel model series was applied to a drainage basin in the Nile Delta to optimize integrated water quality management for agriculture and the aquatic environment. The proposed model series includes a waste load allocation model, an export coefficient model, a stream water quality model, and a genetic algorithm. This model series offers an optimized solution for determining the required removal levels of total suspended solids (TSS), the chemical oxygen demand (COD) at point and non-point pollution sources, and the source flows that require treatment to meet a given water quality target. The model series was applied during the summer and winter to the El-Qalaa basin in the western delta of the Nile River. Increased pollutant removal and treated fractions at point and non-point sources reduced violations of the TSS standards from 732.6 to 238.9 mg/L in summer and from 543.1 to 380.9 mg/L in winter. Likewise, violations of the COD standards decreased from 112.4 mg/L to 0 (no violations) in summer and from 91.7 mg/L to no violations in winter. Thus, this model is recommended as a decision support tool for determining a desirable waste load allocation solution from a trade-off curve considering costs and the degree of compliance with water quality standards.     

中国环境保护规划评估制度建设的主要问题分析

分析了环境保护规划评估体系的主要内容和开展环境保护规划评估的主要方法学需求;根据中国环境保护工作的客观需要,提出了中国开展环境保护规划评估研究和建设的建议.建议包括:(1)加大技术方法研究力度,为环境保护规划评估机制的建立提供技术支撑.(2)重视环境保护规划评估的制度化建设,构建并逐步完善环境保护规划评估制度.(3)强化环境保护规划第三方评估的能力建设,确保评估的公平性和有效性.(4)环境保护规划评估与行政问责机制相结合,确保环境保护规划评估结果得以贯彻执行.(5)建立有效的环境保护规划评估信息交流和共享机制,加大公众参与评估的力度.     

Towards a more appropriate water based extraction for the assessment of organic contaminant availability

This study correlated extractabilities of 37 d aged phenanthrene residues in four dissimilar soils with the fraction that was available for earthworm (Lumbricus rubellus) accumulation and microorganism (Pseudomonas sp.) mineralisation. Extractability was determined using two established techniques, namely, (1) a water based extraction using CO(2) equilibrated water and (2) an aqueous based hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPCD) extraction. Results showed no relationship between earthworm accumulation and phenanthrene extractability using either HPCD (r(2)=0.07; slope=-4.76; n=5) or the water based extraction (r(2)=0.31; slope=-5.34; n=5). Earthworm accumulation was overestimated by both techniques. In contrast, the fraction of phenanthrene extractable using both the HPCD technique and the water based extraction correlated strongly with microbial mineralisation. However, the slopes of these linear relationships were 0.48 (r(2)=0.96; n=10), and 0.99 (r(2)=0.88; n=10) for the water based extraction and HPCD, respectively. Thus, the HPCD extraction provided values that were numerically close to the mineralisation values, whilst the water based extraction values were approximately half the mineralisation values. It is submitted that HPCD extraction provided an appropriate method of assessing the fraction of contaminant available for microbial mineralisation in these dissimilar soils.     

Citizen participation for integrated assessment: new pathways in complex systems

Citizen or community participation is a guiding principle for environmental decision-making, but in practice it is often compromised and contradictory. Two themes in participation can be defined. One is in the 'product' or outcome of decision-making, and aims for more effective and appropriate evaluations and decisions. The other is participation in the 'process', where devolved decision-making itself can serve wider social and economic goals. Although both strands are crucial for the practice of 'integrated assessment' in environmental governance, a clearer view is needed of the scope and limits of such participation. This paper explores such scope and limits by applying a conceptual 'integrated assessment' framework. This is drawn from a major case study on sustainable development for a city-region in the north of the UK. Such a framework helps to identify the many roles of citizen participation from a complex systems perspective. Selected examples of current practice highlight the problems and opportunities for citizen participation in environmental governance.     

IPCS: an integrated process control system for enhanced in-situ bioremediation

To date, there has been little or no research related to process control of subsurface remediation systems. In this study, a framework to develop an integrated process control system for improving remediation efficiencies and reducing operating costs was proposed based on physical and numerical models, stepwise cluster analysis, non-linear optimization and artificial neural networks. Process control for enhanced in-situ bioremediation was accomplished through incorporating the developed forecasters and optimizers with methods of genetic algorithm and neural networks modeling. Application of the proposed approach to a bioremediation process in a pilot-scale system indicated that it was effective in dynamic optimization and real-time process control of the sophisticated bioremediation systems.     

From chemical risk assessment to environmental resources management: the challenge for mining

On top of significant improvements and progress made through science and engineering in the last century to increase efficiency and reduce impacts of mining to the environment, risk assessment has an important role to play in further reducing such impacts and preventing and mitigating risks. This paper reflects on how risk assessment can improve planning, monitoring and management in mining and mineral processing operations focusing on the importance of better understanding source–pathway–receptor linkages for all stages of mining. However, in light of the ever-growing consumption and demand for raw materials from mining, the need to manage environmental resources more sustainably is becoming increasingly important. The paper therefore assesses how mining can form an integral part of wider sustainable resources management, with the need for re-assessing the potential of mining in the context of sustainable management of natural capital, and with a renewed focus on its the role from a systems perspective. The need for understanding demand and pressure on resources, followed by appropriate pricing that is inclusive of all environmental costs, with new opportunities for mining in the wastes we generate, is also discussed. Findings demonstrate the need for a life cycle perspective in closing the loop between mining, production, consumption and waste generation as the way forward.     

基于综合生物标志物响应指数法的尾矿库污染程度评价研究

采用综合生物标志物响应指数(IBR)评价尾矿库污染程度及范围。在尾矿库周边18个采样点采集盐地碱蓬、苦菜、芦苇和地下水潜层水样,分析3种植物中5种生物标志物活性(含量)以及地下水中53种离子浓度。根据每种生物标志物与地下水中离子浓度之间的皮尔逊相关性,筛选芦苇中过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)、超氧化歧化酶(SOD)、丙二醛(MDA)作为评价指标,将这4种生物标志物响应值用于计算IBR。结果表明,尾矿库周边17个采样点(GW-4未取到样品)的IBR介于5.63~512.37,差异性显著(P0.05),依次为GW-16GW-8GW-7GW-11GW-5GW-1GW-17GW-2GW-6GW-10GW-18GW-3GW-13GW-12GW-15GW-14GW-9。IBR评价结果与采样点地下水中污染离子变化趋势及浓度监测结果基本一致。IBR与微核千分率、地下水中各种离子相关性较为显著(P0.05),表明IBR可以直接用于尾矿库的生态风险评价。     

The use of Odonata species for environmental assessment: a meta-analysis for the Neotropical region

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The order Odonata has been regularly used as an indicator of the ecosystem’s condition. The objective of this review was to analyze the...     

Introducing integrated product and process development into the education of science and engineering undergraduates: a lecture course with an accompanying case-study programme at the ETH chemistry department

Increased quality requirements in the development of chemical products and a growing awareness within society of the activities of chemical companies present a new challenge to the education of young scientists. Nowadays, the teaching of chemists, chemical engineers and environmental scientists at universities has to go beyond the traditional, discipline-orientated knowledge acquisition. The students also have to learn to work and communicate in interdisciplinary teams, to solve application-oriented tasks and to integrate scientific, economical, ecological and social aspects into their work. For this reason, a case-study programme was launched at the chemistry department of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. In this paper, we describe the organisational aspects of the programme, its inclusion into academic and industrial environments and summarise some of the scientific methodologies applied. One of the seven case-studies, an assessment of a modern insecticide, is presented in more detail. Finally, we discuss how far the case-study programme is suitable for introducing a new mode of knowledge production to universities.     

水产养殖规划环境影响评价关键指标的研究

建立水产养殖规划环境影响评价指标体系的实质就是建立其环境影响的具体评价内容.提出了水产养殖规划显著环境影响识别的必要性和方法,引入了关键控制点的概念和识别方法,提出了建立关键指标体系的方法.同时,根据水产养殖规划环境影响评价的要求,提出了规划层次的评价指标和水环境状态反应层次指标的两级指标结构层次.     

政府环境绩效评估中隐性绩效初探

政府环境绩效存在滞后现象,根据绩效在时间轴上的分布,提出显性绩效和隐性绩效,并定义这2类绩效.依据行为科学中的期望理论提出,在进行绩效评估时把隐性绩效考虑其中.提高目标价值估计,或通过创造条件,提高目标实现的概率,都能激发出领导者对环境保护、生态建设更高的积极性.