Fertilizer-N use efficiency and nitrate pollution of groundwater in developing countries

Around 76% of the world's population lives in developing countries where more fertilizer-N is currently applied than in developed countries. Fertilizers are applied preferentially in regions where irrigation is available, and soil and climatic conditions are favorable for the growth of crop plants. Due to low N application rates during the last 3 or 4 decades, negative N balances in the soil are a characteristic feature of the crop production systems in developing countries. In the future, with increasing fertilizer-N application rates, the possibility of nitrate pollution of groundwater in developing countries will be strongly linked with fertilizer-N use efficiency. A limited number of investigations from developing countries suggest that, in irrigated soils of Asia or in humid tropics of Africa, the potential exists for nitrate pollution of groundwater, especially if fertilizer-N is inefficiently managed. In a large number of developing countries in West and Central Asia and North Africa, the small amount of fertilizer applied to soils (mostly Aridisols) that remain dry almost all the year, do not constitute a major threat for nitrate pollution of groundwater, except possibly when soils are irrigated. In Asia and the Pacific regions, where 70% of the fertilizers are used to grow wetland rice on soils with low percolation rates, leaching of nitrates is minimal. Climatic water balance and soil moisture conditions do not favor leaching of nitrates from the small amount of fertilizer-N applied to Oxisols and Ultisols in Latin America. In developing countries located in the humid tropics, attempts have not been made to correlate fertilizer-N use with nitrate level in groundwater; however, fertilizers are being increasingly used. Besides high rainfall, irrigation is becoming increasingly available to farmers in the humid tropics and substantial leaching of N may also increase.     

房地产开发项目的环境污染和防治措施

随着我国房地产事业的蓬勃发展 ,建设开发过程中的环境问题日益突出 ,如果防治措施不当 ,会对环境造成一定危害。根据房地产开发项目的污染特点 ,分别采取不同的防治措施后 ,可以实现项目开发和环境保护的双赢。     

我国畜禽养殖业引致的环境问题及主要对策

在阐述目前畜禽养殖业引致的主要环境问题及其与可持续发展关系的基础上 ,从生态系统学的角度提出应强化规模化畜禽养殖废弃物的综合利用 ,开展固体废弃物和污水治理等相关领域的研究 ,进一步做好畜禽养殖污染防治工作 ,有效地保护和改善农村生态环境 ,以期促进畜禽养殖环境与经济的协调发展。     

Globalization and environmental problems in developing countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Informal E-waste recycling in developing countries: review of metal(loid)s pollution,environmental impacts and transport pathways

Crude or primitive recycling practices are often adopted in material resource recovery from E-waste in developing nations. Significant human health and environmental impacts may occur because of such practices. Literature on metal(loid)s pollution during E-waste processing is fragmented. Here, I review the health and environmental impacts of E-waste recycling operations and transport pathways of metal(loid)s, dispersed during operations. This paper is organised into five sections. Section 1 relates to the background of global E-waste generation and legal/illegal trade, citing specific cases from Ghana and other developing nations. Section 2 provides a brief information on sources of metal(loid)s in E-waste. Section 3 describes characteristics of informal E-waste recycling operations in developing nations. Section 4 examines the health and environmental impacts in E-waste recycling while section 5 evaluates major transport pathways of metal(loid)s contaminants.     

Air pollution perception in ten countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

As largely documented in the literature, the stark restrictions enforced worldwide in 2020 to curb the COVID-19 pandemic also curtailed the production of air pollutants to some extent. This study investigates the perception of the air pollution as assessed by individuals located in ten countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Iran, Italy, Norway, South Africa and the USA. The perceptions towards air quality were evaluated by employing an online survey administered in May 2020. Participants (N = 9394) in the ten countries expressed their opinions according to a Likert-scale response. A reduction in pollutant concentration was clearly perceived, albeit to a different extent, by all populations. The survey participants located in India and Italy perceived the largest drop in the air pollution concentration; conversely, the smallest variation was perceived among Chinese and Norwegian respondents. Among all the demographic indicators considered, only gender proved to be statistically significant.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01574-2.     

Parametric and non-parametric convergence analysis of electricity intensity in developed and developing countries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This paper examines the pattern of convergence in electricity intensity in a sample of 79 countries. We apply the residual augmented least squares...     

Environmental concerns and switching toward electric vehicles: geographic and institutional perspectives

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Smog pollution deteriorates environmental quality and has severe health risks. This affects the daily lives of people in China, particularly in urban...     

Environmental impact of aquaculture and countermeasures to aquaculture pollution in China

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND: Aquaculture activities are well known to be the major contributor to the increasing level of organic waste and toxic compound in the aquaculture industry. Along with the development of intensive aquaculture in China, concerns are evoked about the possible effects of ever-increasing aquaculture waste both on productivity inside the aquaculture system and on the ambient aquatic ecosystem. Therefore, it is apparent that appropriate waste treatment processes are needed for sustaining aquaculture development. This review aims at identifying the current status of aquaculture and aquaculture waste production in China. MAIN FEATURES: China is the world's largest fishery nation in terms of total seafood production volume, a position it has maintained continuously since 1990. Freshwater aquaculture is a major part of the Chinese fishery industry. Marine aquaculture in China consists of both land-based and offshore aquaculture, with the latter mostly operated in shallow seas, mud flats and protected bays. The environmental impacts of aquaculture are also striking. RESULTS: Case studies on pollution hot spots caused by aquaculture have been introduced. The quality and quantity of waste from aquaculture depends mainly on culture system characteristics and the choice of species, but also on feed quality and management. Wastewater without treatment, if continuously discharged into the aquatic environment, could result in remarkable elevation of the total organic matter contents and cause considerable economy lost. Waste treatments can be mainly classified into three categories: physical, chemical and biological methods. DISCUSSION: The environmental impacts of different aquaculture species are not the same. New waste treatments are introduced as references for the potential development of the waste treatment system in China. The most appropriate waste treatment system for each site should be selected according to the sites' conditions and financial status as well as by weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each system. Strategies and perspectives for sustainable aquaculture development are proposed, with the emphasis on environmental protection. CONCLUSIONS: Negative effects of waste from aquaculture to aquatic environment are increasingly recognized, though they were just a small proportion to land-based pollutants. Properly planned use of aquaculture waste alleviates water pollution problems and not only conserves valuable water resources but also takes advantage of the nutrients contained in effluent. It is highly demanding to develop sustainable aquaculture which keeps stocking density and pollution loadings under environmental capacity. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: The traditional procedures for aquaculture waste treatment, mainly based on physical and chemical means, should be overcome by more site-specific approaches, taking into account the characteristics and resistibility of the aquatic environment. Further research needs to improve or optimize the current methods of wastewater treatment and reuse. Proposed new treatment technology should evaluate their feasibility at a larger scale for practical application.     

施肥过程中的污染控制

农业生产造成的自身污染是一个不可忽略的环境问题,化肥施用不当造成植物体内硝酸盐含量增加以及水源的污染,城市活性污沁的农用处理,扩大了农田重金属污染的途径和范围,因此要提介科学种田,合肥施肥,以减轻对农业环境的污染。     

宁波市大气污染成因与防治对策

宁波临港重化工业和能源基地的特色定位,在短暂拉动GDP快速增长的同时,已呈现不堪重负的环境压力,大气污染问题尤甚.让人民群众呼吸到新鲜的空气是环境保护部门坚持以人为本,深入实践科学发展观的最基本要求.当务之急是要针对突出问题,寻找根源所在,聚合集体智慧,提出破解之策,确保宁波经济社会的可持续发展.