Automobile pollution in India and its human impact

Summary Automobiles are a necessary evil, while they have made living easy and convenient, they have also made human life more complicated and vulnerable to both toxic emissions and an increased risk of accidents. Urban people are most affected and amongst the worst sufferers are traffic policemen who are particularly close to the fumes of automobile exhaust. Studies made in Jaipur, India, indicate that there is high rate of occurrence of respiratory, digestive, ocular and skin problems amongst the traffic policemen and a significant number of them become victims of lung disorders in the very first few months of their posting to a traffic department. Traffic policement everywhere should wear pollution masks for their own safety and to arouse public awareness of the risk of automobile pollution.Dr Rajiv K. Sinha is Assistant Professor in Human Ecology at the Indira Gandhi Centre of Human Ecology, Environmental and Population Studies at the University of Rajasthan. He was formerly a teaching assistant at University of Windsor,     

Environmental impact and management of phosphogypsum

The production of phosphoric acid from natural phosphate rock by the wet process gives rise to an industrial by-product called phosphogypsum (PG). About 5 tons of PG are generated per ton of phosphoric acid production, and worldwide PG generation is estimated to be around 100–280 Mt per year. This by-product is mostly disposed of without any treatment, usually by dumping in large stockpiles. These are generally located in coastal areas close to phosphoric acid plants, where they occupy large land areas and cause serious environmental damage. PG is mainly composed of gypsum but also contains a high level of impurities such as phosphates, fluorides and sulphates, naturally occurring radionuclides, heavy metals, and other trace elements. All of this adds up to a negative environmental impact and many restrictions on PG applications. Up to 15% of world PG production is used to make building materials, as a soil amendment and as a set controller in the manufacture of Portland cement; uses that have been banned in most countries. The USEPA has classified PG as a “Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material” (TENORM).     

Towards sustainable management of natural ecosystems on farms? a New Zealand perspective

Many New Zealand farms still have large remnant indigenous forest patches. This paper discusses constraints and opportunities for the sustainable management of these remnants. First, the paper analyses why the specific ecological situation of the New Zealand vegetation poses severe constraints for sustainable management. Second, results from a case study are presented suggesting that analysis of farmers’ attitudes to remnant ecosystems might provide valuable data for improving existing environmental legislation. Finally, the possible management implications of the new Resource Management Act 1991 and Forest Amendment Act 1993 are discussed. It is argued that these Acts may bring to an end a thousand years of wilful and accidental destruction of New Zealand's natural environment.     

中国西部地区环境问题的根源及对策

严峻的环境问题是西部地区经济发展的障碍。指出了造成西部地区环境恶化的6个根源;并针对性地提出改善西部环境问题的6项对策。实施这些对策对确保西部地区的可持续发展具有现实意义。     

Environmental regulatory measures and their economic impact on the Indian leather industry

The leather industry plays a significant role as a foreign exchange earning sector in India. Because of easy availability of raw materials and cheap traditional labour in the country, leather and its products produced in India are priced very affordably. Emerging environmental issues at the local and international levels may have an impact on the economic sustainability of the industry, however. These issues could substantially affect the price of leather and its products in domestic and global markets, and could also result in a reduction in India's ambitious export targets. The linkages between environment and trade are discussed in this article. An attempt has been made to assess the economic impact of major environmental issues on the Indian leather industry .     

Monitoring and management of streambank erosion and natural revegetation on the lower Gordon River,Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area,Australia

The wash from high-speed tourist cruise launches causes erosion of the formerly stable banks of the lower Gordon River within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Speed and access restrictions on the operation of commercial cruise vessels have considerably slowed, but not halted erosion, which continues on the now destabilized banks. To assess the effectiveness of restrictions, bank erosion and natural revegetation are monitored at 48 sites using erosion pins, survey transects, and vegetation quadrats. The subjectively chosen sites are grouped on the basis of geomorphology and bank materials. The mean measured rate of erosion of estuarine banks slowed from 210 to 19 mm/year with the introduction of a 9 knot speed limit. In areas where cruise vessels continue to operate, alluvial banks were eroded at a mean rate of 11 mm/yr during the three-year period of the current management regime. Very similar alluvial banks no longer subject to commercial cruise boat traffic eroded at the slower mean rate of 3 mm/yr. Sandy levee banks have retreated an estimated maximum 10 m during the last 10–15 years. The mean rate of bank retreat slowed from 112 to 13 mm/yr with the exclusion of cruise vessels from the leveed section of the river. Revegetation of the eroded banks is proceeding slowly; however, since the major bank colonizers are very slow growing tree species, it is likely to be decades until revegetation can contribute substantially to bank stability.     

Environmental impact assessment in the People's Republic of China

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures have been in existence in the People's Republic of China over the last decade. The impetus for China's introduction of EIA was provided by the Environmental Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, which was adopted by the Fifth National People's Congress in 1979. The EIA process, which is administrative and not statutorily mandated, has been applied primarily to construction projects. Four stages are typically involved in an EIA investigation: design of the investigation, evaluation of background environmental quality, prediction of environmental impacts, and an assessment and analysis of the environmental impacts. A variety of approaches is used for predicting and analyzing environmental impacts, ranging from ad hoc methods to fairly sophisticated mathematical models. The results of the EIA investigation are compiled in an environmental impact statement, which is used as the basis for decision making by personnel in environmental protection departments. The EIA process does not include provisions for citizen notification or involvement. Views differ concerning the effectiveness of the EIA program in protecting China's natural, social, and cultural environments. Some hold that the EIA program has brought about improvement in environmental protection, while critics contend that the program has had little effect in the prevention of pollution. However, most, if not all, observers seem to feel that the program should be continued and improved. A major avenue for improvement is to place the evaluation of a particular project in a regional context. An earlier version of this paper was distributed at a workshop on Environmental Assessment Development Planning held in conjunction with the VII Annual Meeting of the International Association for Impact Assessment, Brisbane, Australia, July 5–8, 1988.     

Environmental impact assessment in flanders,belgium: An evaluation of the administrative procedure

Two years of experience with EIA in Flanders (northern Belgium) was evaluated in order to gain perspective on the effectiveness of the administrative procedure. The four essential characteristics of the EIA procedure that were evaluated are: completeness, open and public character, objectivity, and verifiability. Representatives of all parties involved in the EIA procedure were interviewed. The result of the evaluation is a list of major problems with EIA. Recommendations for a more efficient procedure are suggested at a time when a proposal for a new, comprehensive, and permanent EIA decree is being discussed. The evaluation of the administrative procedure for EIA in Flanders shows that several vital characteristics of the EIA procedure are lacking. This reduces the obligatory and open nature of the process, resulting in insufficient guarantees that the environment receives the altention it deserves during the decision-making process.     

成都市特殊保护区域生态环境保护现状及对策

成都地区具有丰富的自然生态和文化旅游资源,这些资源大多以自然保护区和风景名胜区等特殊保护区的形式存在。随着经济社会、特别是旅游业的迅猛发展,进入景区的游客大量增加,原有的管理模式已不能适应形势的发展,导致了日益突出的生态环境问题。成都市市委、市政府正在组织开展创建国家环保模范城市的行动,并已规划“全球环保500佳”的创建和生态城市的建设,因此加强对自然生态的保护与建设尤为重要。市环保局为了贯彻市委、市政府有关决策精神,为“创摸”提供决策依据,对市内特殊保护区域的生态环境保护现状进行了摸底调查。本文根据调查成果对特殊保护区域生态环境保护的现状和成绩、存在的问题和成因进行了分析,并提出了对策建议。     

Satellite Monitoring of Urban Sprawl and Assessment of its Potential Environmental Impact in the Greater Toronto Area Between 1985 and 2005

This research investigates urban sprawl in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) between 1985 and 2005 and the nature of the resulting landscape fragmentation, particularly with regard to the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM), an ecologically important area for the region. Six scenes of Landsat TM imagery were acquired in summer of 1985, 1995, and 2005. These images and their texture measures were classified into eight land cover classes with very satisfactory final overall accuracies (93–95?%). Analysis of the classifications indicated that urban areas grew by 20?% between 1985 and 1995 and by 15?% between 1995 and 2005. Landscape fragmentation due to spatio-temporal land cover changes was evaluated using urban compactness indicators and landscape metrics, and results from the latter were used to draw conclusions about probable environmental impact. The indicator results showed that urban proportions increased in nearly all areas outside of the metropolitan center, including on portions of the ORM. The landscape metrics reveal that low density urban areas increased significantly in the GTA between 1985 and 2005, mainly at the expense of agricultural land. The metric results indicate increased vulnerability and exposure to adverse effects for natural and semi-natural land cover through greater contrast and lowered connectivity. The degree of urban perimeter increased around most environmentally significant areas in the region. Changes like these negatively impact species and the regional water supply in the GTA. Further investigation into specific environmental impacts of urban expansion in the region and which areas on the ORM are most at risk is recommended.     

Patagonia struggles to reduce its impact on the environment

Patagonia designs and distributes clothing for active use in the outdoors, and many of the people who work for Patagonia are avid climbers, skiers, surfers, and hikers. If the environment is destroyed, there will be no place for Patagonia's customers and employees to use its products. The types of products Patagonia makes and the personal commitment to the environment of its founder and employees make it unique. In the past few years, Patagonia has been systematically reviewing how the company's products and operations affect the environment. This article shows that even with Patagonia's unusual connection to the environment, the company is still finding that total quality environmental management is not easy. It takes analysis, planning, follow-through, and measurement; and even then, not all environmental efforts are successful.     

西河污灌区环境污染对居民健康影响的调查研究

本文对污灌区居民健康状况及水样致突性的调查,显示污灌区居民消化系统主要疾病(慢性胃炎,急、慢性肠炎)患病率,肝肿大率以及总标化死亡率均显著高于对照区(P<0.01)。污灌区消化系恶性肿瘤标化死亡率高于对照区(P<0.01)。污灌区消化系恶性肿瘤标化死亡率高于对照区(P<0.05);水样紫露草微核率亦高于对照区,并有显著性差异(P<0.01)。污灌区居民由于受饮用水和食物等污染,每年的健康经济损失总计为127.2050万元。     

吉林市江北化工区环境容量研究

本文通过对吉林市江北化工区内、外的大气污染物SO2排放调查,以及环境空气中SO2浓度调查,并应用多源模型（ISC3）,结合B值削减分配法计算江北化工区环境空气中SO2的环境容量,计算出该区域的剩余环境容量为16732．04t／a。     

Environmental impact of mining in Ghana: issues and answers

As part of the process of drafting environmental guidelines for mining, a study of the impact of mining on the environment was undertaken by the Ghanaian Minerals Commission. The study evaluated the impact of underground mines and surface mines on the physical environment as well as their socio-economic impact. Among its conclusions: for both types of mines, drainage emptying out into rivers is a major cause of pollution; mine roads open up uninhabited regions to farming and other uses. Underground mines employ more workers than surface mines; the socioeconomic benefits of the surface mines to local people are less than those of underground mines.     

Environmental regulation, productive efficiency and cost of pollution abatement: a case study of the sugar industry in India

In this paper the input distance function is estimated for the Indian Sugar industry under alternative assumptions of weak and strong disposability of bad outputs. The estimated distance function is used to make the estimates of environmental efficiency, Malmquist productivity index and shadow prices of pollutants. The technical efficiency measure estimated under the assumption of weak disposability of bad outputs is utilized to test the Porter hypothesis. Marginal costs of pollution abatement functions are estimated for different pollutants of water. Pollutant specific taxes are computed using the tax-standards method.     

对城镇清洁区与污灌区蔬菜基地环境现状的调查研究

通过对昌吉州三工镇和榆树沟镇、米泉市古牧地镇和柏杨河乡种植区土壤、空气质量、灌溉水的监测分析与调查研究,对比清洁区蔬菜基地与污灌区蔬菜基地环境现状,探讨了灌溉用水对蔬菜质量的影响,提出切实可行的防治措施.     

洞庭湖区域环境整治规划及措施

随着工、农业的发展,洞庭湖区域的环境污染日趋严重。本文较详细地研究了洞庭湖区域的环境整治规划,在各环境要素的规划方面进行了探讨。     

Environmental impact of the Gulf War: An integrated preliminary assessment

This article provides an objective integrated environmental impact assessment of the Gulf War consequences. The environmental damage was evaluated and found to be significantly exaggerated by the media and speculators. The total amount of burned crude oil was calculated to be 52.5 million metric tons. Most air pollution field measurements were comparable to those found in Western cities. The health impact associated with such exposure was found to be minimal. The total amount of oil released into the marine environment ranged between 2 and 4 million barrels, much less than the early estimation of 12–14 million barrels. The marine environment is expected to recover much faster than earlier anticipations. Unlike water and air, soil pollution is likely to persist for some years to come.