An integrated approach for studying the land suitability for ecological corridors through spatial multicriteria evaluations

Nature conservation is a very important issue in the sustainability assessments and spatial planning context. Knowledge of the suitability of the land to behave as an ecological corridor thus provides very significant input to land-use planning. Nature conservation and land-use planning are by their nature spatial problems. A family of methods that are rapidly gaining traction for planning and policymaking, named spatial multicriteria evaluations (SMCE), which are based on geographic information systems (GIS) and multicriteria analysis (MCA) coupling, can be an effective support for this area. The present paper proposes the integration of the GIS with a specific MCA technique, named Analytic Network Process to assess the ecological value of the land in the Piedmont Region (northern Italy). The results are obtained in the form of maps to be used as decision variables in planning. The study concludes with some lessons learned during the development of the SMCE and highlights that the applied methodology is an effective tool for decision makers in spatial planning and strategic assessments.     

Conditions for the development of anaerobic digestion technologies using the organic fraction of municipal solid waste: perspectives for Poland

This article outlines problems related to the location of facilities designed to treat the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). Anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities are investigated as a treatment option, while taking into account the aspects of renewable energy generation. This research has been spurred on by the relationship between waste management, energy generation issues and spatial planning procedures. The analysis is focused on urban and semi-urban areas of medium and large cities. One of the most difficult issues associated with siting of waste processing plants is its integration with local infrastructures, avoiding conflicts and negative environmental impacts at the same time. This research aims to analyse possible locations for AD plants fuelled by OFMSW in Poland. Based on the experience gained from other countries and lessons learnt from the analysis of existing facilities in Europe, conditions for the location of this type of waste treatment plants have been defined, with the focus on economic, environmental and social issues. Most likely, the results of the multicriteria decision analysis for siting of municipal solid waste AD plants (M-BIST tool) could be transferred to other countries, especially those with a comparable GDP level and a similar framework for a waste management system.     

Public health benefits of compliance with current E.U. emissions standards for municipal waste incinerators: a health risk assessment with the CalTox multimedia exposure model

The Angers municipal solid waste incineration plant, in operation since 1974, was upgraded in 2000 to comply with new European standards. This article discusses the risks associated with past and present emissions from the incinerator and its nearby furnace. Emissions of SO(2), HCl, particulate matter, lead, mercury, cadmium and dioxins were studied. We characterised the risks associated with exposure via inhalation and ingestion of locally grown products, before and after the upgrade. Emissions were estimated from regulatory measurements, and ambient air concentrations estimated with a Gaussian dispersion model. The CalTox multimedia model was used to calculate concentrations in the food chain. Food intake rates came from a nationwide survey. Inhalation exposure to respiratory irritants produced a hazard ratio less than 1 in all scenarios, except for SO(2) in the immediate neighbourhood of the incinerator, before the change in furnace fuel and in case of high-pressure weather conditions. The individual excess risk of cancer was less than 10(-6) and the hazard ratios for metals were less than 1. Before compliance, the average dioxin exposure attributable to the incinerator accounted for roughly one quarter of the average total exposure from traffic and other combustion activities. Although the corresponding hazard ratio was less than 1, the individual lifetime excess risk, assuming no change in emissions, was 2 x 10(-4). After compliance, all hazard ratios and future individual lifetime excess risks appear minimal. These results are consistent with environmental data and other studies, but many uncertainties remain, such as intermedia transfer coefficients for dioxins. Nevertheless compliance has vastly reduced the probability of health effects.     

The evaluation of the air quality impact of an incinerator by using MM5-CMAQ-EMIMO modeling system: North of Spain case study

The use of sophisticated air pollution modeling systems to evaluate the impact of different industrial plant emissions is currently done in an extensive way. MM5-CMAQ (PSU/NCAR and EPA, USA) is one of the most applicable air quality modeling systems to evaluate those impacts. In this contribution we present the methodology and results obtained when applying the MM5-CMAQ air quality modeling system for evaluating the potential impact of an incinerator in San Sebastián (Basque Country, Spain). We have used the EMIMO (UPM, Spain) emission model to simulate the emissions from biogenic and anthropogenic sources including traffic and tertiary sector sources. The study includes the air quality impact of a highway located near the incinerator named A8 and 6 industrial plants which already exist. The impact study has been compared with the results obtained from this highway impact and the 6 industrial plants which are normally operating during the last 30 years. The system has been prepared to simulate also Cadmium, Arsenic, Nickel, Lead and Benzo(a)pyrene air quality impacts. The PCDD/F air concentrations have been determined for the 16 toxic dioxins and furans as determined in the bibliography. The criteria pollutants such as CO, NOx, SO(2), PM(10) and O(3) have also been determined according to the different EU Directives which limit the values of such a pollutants for different periods of time.     

The analysis of human health risk with a detailed procedure operating in a GIS environment

An approach for quantifying the human health risk caused by industrial sources, which, daily or accidentally, emit dangerous pollutants able to impact on different environmental media, is introduced. The approach is performed by the HHRA-GIS tool which employs an integrated, multimedia, multi-exposure pathways and multi-receptors risk assessment model able to manage all the steps of the analysis in a georeferenced structure. Upper-bound excess lifetime cancer risk and noncarcinogenic hazards are the risk measures, the spatial distribution of which is calculated and mapped on the involved territory, once all the pathways and receptors of the study area are identified. A sensitivity analysis completes the calculations allowing to understand how risk estimates are dependent on variability in the factors contributing to risk. The last part of the paper makes use of a case study concerning a working industrial site to put in evidence in which way the designed tool can help local authorities and policy makers in managing risks and planning remedial and reduction actions. The considered geographical area is a hypothetical territory characterized by residential, agricultural and industrial zones. The presence of two sources of contamination, a municipal waste incinerator (MWI) and a contaminated site, are evaluated by the tool application. Various typologies of receptors have been taken into account, each of them characterized by different anatomical and dietary properties. The achieved results are analyzed, compared with acceptable and background values and alternatives of minor environmental impact calculated.     

贵州省经济弱县的确定及其特征分析

应用层次分析法,测算出贵州每个年度全部县域的经济社会发展综合实力排序值及其排序位次。由此得出排在前列的一部分县域,列为该年度经济强县,排在末尾的另一部分县域,列为经济弱县。贵州经济弱县一般特征是:人均GDP较低;农村贫困面较大;边际地理区位;属于民族自治的经济弱县较多;山地面积较广。当前分布格局为:东部经济弱县较多,西部较少。相对集中的经济弱县,形成4个片区。从每个片区的自然条件出发,论述维护生态环境与发展经济的有利和不利因素,揭示片区差异,提出必须解决的问题。     

A geographic information system-based socioeconomic impact assessment of the broadening of national highway in Sikkim Himalayas: a case study

Socioeconomic impact assessment (SEIA) is an undermined area of environmental impact assessment of highway projects. The problem becomes even more pronounced in remote and difficult terrains. The challenge in data gathering and impact prediction in mountainous areas can be mitigated using Geographic Information System (GIS). In this paper, an attempt has been made to apply the techniques of GIS and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to perform a rapid SEIA on broadening of national highway in a mountainous terrain like Sikkim. The proposed spatial impact model shows the distribution of impacts of highway broadening on socioeconomic attributes and generates a composite impact inventory map. The composite impact is found to be slightly to moderately beneficial for the study area. Cross-validation of Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK) and sensitivity analysis have also been carried out for model evaluation. Cross-validation results show a reliable spatial interpolation. Sensitivity analysis shows a robust decision model and identifies the socioeconomic attributes to which the spatial impact model is sensitive. The study presents a novel methodology of rapid spatial SEIA.     

Dioxin and dioxin-like PCB profiles in the serum of industrial and municipal waste incinerator workers in Korea

To assess occupational exposure, we determined the concentrations of PCDD/Fs and PCBs in human serum samples from 26 incinerator workers (10 industrial waste and 16 municipal solid waste incinerator workers), 38 residents near the facilities and 7 inhabitants (as control subjects) living over 10 km away from any incinerator facilities in Korea. The mean TEQ_WHO levels of PCDD/Fs in the industrial and MSWI workers were 41.57 and 9.86 pg TEQ_WHO g^? 1 lipid, respectively. For the residents, the mean TEQ_WHO was 13.47 pg TEQ_WHO g^? 1 lipid (residents near IWI, MSWI, and control subjects: 17.64, 13.31, and 6.91 pg TEQ_WHO g^? 1 lipid). Higher levels of certain PCDD/F congeners, mainly PCDFs, were detected in the serum of industrial incinerator workers in comparison to the levels measured in the residents. Significant differences were observed for PCDFs, the major compounds were OCDF, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF, and the minor components 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF, 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF, and 2,3,4,6,7,8-HxCDF (p < 0.01). The PCDD/F congener patterns and concentrations measured in the 71 serum samples examined suggest that the industrial incinerator workers were exposed to PCDD/Fs in the workplace, possibly through inhalation and/or skin contact. In contrast, the levels and congener patterns of PCBs measured were similar in all subjects, indicating that workers from the incinerator facilities examined were not subjected to additional exposure to these compounds.     

近30年江苏省建设用地扩张的时空特征、模式与驱动因素研究

采用Landsat TM/ETM遥感解译数据,综合运用定性与定量方法,分析江苏省1985～2015年建设用地扩张的时空演变特征、类型与模式,通过多元回归和地理探测器方法探索江苏省和各地级市建设用地扩张的时空驱动因子及驱动机制。结果表明：(1）江苏省建设用地扩张幅度空间上呈现苏南>苏中>苏北的特征,建设用地扩张速率时间上呈现先上升后下降的趋势,2005～2010年是快速扩张期。（2)江苏省建设用地扩张呈空间自相关和明显的集聚分布。扩张密度分布呈现以江苏沿江地区为高值中心,沿海及苏北地区为低值连片区的空间分异现象。高-高值区主要分布在城市中心区。（3)江苏省已形成沿长江的城市发展轴带和空间集约的都市连绵区,呈现外延型的空间扩张模式。江苏省建设用地扩张的协调性和稳定性,均出现苏南>苏北的地理空间格局,可分为 4种类型：协调稳定型、不协调稳定型、协调波动型、不协调波动型。(4）建设用地扩张主导时间驱动因子是产业结构转型、人口增长、居民生活水平提高和投资增长,第二、三产业比重是扩张的核心时间驱动因素,工业化是驱动建设用地扩张的重要动力。GDP和人口密度是建设用地扩张的主导空间驱动因子。     

基于ESDA的城乡关联时空演变研究——以浙江省为例

以浙江省69个县域行政单元为研究对象,根据城乡关联内涵及特点,构建综合评价指标体系,运用主成分分析法和探索性空间数据分析方法,定量测度浙江省2001~2011年县域城乡关联性,并分析城乡关联时空演变特征及空间关联状态。研究表明：（1）各县域城乡关联综合得分均出现不同程度的增长,表明区域城乡经济社会统筹得到优化;（2）城乡关联空间存在差异,东部沿海平原县域城乡关联性普遍高于西部低山丘陵县域,地级市辖区城乡关联性明显高于各县(县级市);（3）城乡关联表现出较强的空间集聚特性,城乡关联较强的县域主要分布于长三角环杭州湾地区,城乡关联较弱的县域则集中分布于浙西南低山丘陵区域。在此基础上,提出经济水平发展、交通设施改善、要素联系强化、政策制度优化等4因素为浙江省城乡关联演变的主要动力机制     

基于供给约束与需求的土地开发适宜性空间分异研究——以江苏省为例

随着土地供需矛盾的加剧,如何通过土地资源的合理有序开发,实现社会、经济、生态之间以及区域之间的协调发展是一个迫切需要解决的问题。以江苏为研究区域,从供给约束及开发需求的角度,分别构建了土地供给约束及非农开发需求程度评价指标体系,其中：供给约束指标体系主要由水土资源约束和生态环境约束两个方面共9个具体因子组成;土地非农开发需求指标主要由人口、经济、投资水平及变化,以及经济要素产出率、基础设施完善程度、土地获取成本及产业基础等方面共19个具体因子组成。在此基础上采用多指标综合评价法研究了江苏各县（市）土地供给及非农开发需求程度。根据两者的组合特征,将全省分为四大适宜类型区,即高度适宜区、较高适宜区、中度适宜区和不适宜区,并提出了各类型区开发利用导向,对实现江苏省土地资源的合理有序开发、社会、经济、生态的统筹协调发展具有指导意义.     

Health risk assessment of emissions of dioxins and furans from a municipal waste incinerator: comparison with other emission sources

The aim of this study was to calculate the incremental lifetime-risk to dioxins and furans (PCDD/Fs) for the population living in the surroundings of a municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI), as well as to establish the potential reduction on human health risks as a consequence of the adaptation to the EU legislation on pollutant emissions from the MSWI stack. Analytical and modelled results were obtained. PCDD/F concentrations in environmental media were determined by means of a simple-compartment-multimedia model (air-soil-vegetation model). Predicted and measured PCDD/F concentrations in soils and vegetation were compared, and the effects of MSWI emissions in the environmental media were determined. Human health risks due to PCDD/F emissions from the MSWI were also estimated based on I-TEQ measured and modelled in various environmental media. Cancer risks due to PCDD/F emissions of the plant were 1.07E-07 and 3.08E-09, before and after installation of the clean air system, respectively. On the other hand, cancer risks due to other PCDD/F emission sources in the area were 5.54E-06 and 1.86E-06. Total PCDD/F cancer risks (including those from diet) for the population living in the vicinity of the MSWI were 1.3E-04 and 4.25E-05, respectively (67.6% of reduction). Hazard ratio for total PCDD/F exposure (including diet) decreased during the last 5 years from 1.16 to 0.38. The above data show that other emission sources of PCDD/Fs also have a notable environmental impact on the area under direct influence of the MSWI.     

The quest for environmental justice in China: citizen participation and the rural–urban network against Panguanying’s waste incinerator

Environmental distribution conflicts (EDCs) related to the construction and operation of waste incinerators have become commonplace in China. This article presents a detailed case study of citizen opposition to an incinerator in the village of Panguanying, Hebei Province. Drawing on in-depth fieldwork, we show how this case was notable, because it transcended the local arena to raise bigger questions about environmental justice, particularly in relation to public participation in siting decisions, after villagers exposed fraudulent public consultation in the environmental impact assessment. An informal network between villagers and urban environmental activists formed, enabling the Panguanying case to exert influence far beyond the village locality. This network was critical in creating wider public debate about uneven power and substandard public participation in siting disputes, a central feature in many Chinese EDCs. By transcending local specificities and exposing broader, systemic inadequacies, this case became instrumental in supporting “strong sustainability”.     

浙江县域土地经济效益空间格局演变及驱动因素研究

以土地投入和土地产出耦合协调度表征土地经济效益,采用空间分析法和地理探测器分析浙江省县域土地经济效益空间格局演变,揭示其演化机理和驱动机制。结果表明:2005~2014年浙江省各县(市)土地经济效益均提高,但空间自相关性降低;土地经济效益县域间差异扩大,空间分布差异性主要体现在东-西方向上;空间分异朝多峰值演化,高值区面积缩减,低值区面积扩张;浙江省土地经济效益主要驱动因素是建成区比重、非农业就业人口、地形起伏度和第三产业比重。分析表明,为提升浙江省土地经济效益,应促进城镇化发展中土地和人口、产业之间的协同发展,提高建成区经济要素投入,提升第三产业比重。     

江苏省环境系统特点及环境污染状况

江苏省自然特点为单一而脆弱,表面为平原为主,水域面积较大,山地少,森林覆盖率低,生物种类少,江苏省社会环境特点为人均资源少,经济基础好,交通发达,城市密集和人才优势明显;江苏省的废气,废水,固体,噪声污染日益严重。由于上述特点和原因,江苏省农业机械化,现代化程度较高,水产养殖业发达,但应进一步提高农业集约化程度和大力推广生态农业整治环境污染,利用天在河道进一步发展养殖业;江苏省工业轻,重并举以轻为     

Biomonitoring of the general population living near a modern solid waste incinerator: A pilot study in Modena,Italy

Background and goalsAs part of the authorization process for the solid waste incinerator (SWI) in Modena, Italy, a human biomonitoring cross-sectional pilot study was conducted to investigate the degree to which people living and working in the proximity of the plant were exposed to SWI emissions.MethodsBetween May and June 2010, 65 subjects living and working within 4 km of the incinerator (exposed) and 103 subjects living and working outside this area (unexposed) were enrolled in the study. Blood, serum and urinary metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Hg, Mn, Ni), urinary benzene, toluene, xylene (BTEX), S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA), and urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analysed. Information about lifestyle, anthropometric characteristics, residence, and health status was collected by a self-administered questionnaire. Exposure to particulate matter (PM) emitted from the SWI was estimated using fall-out maps from a quasi-Gaussian dispersion model. A multiple linear regression analysis investigated the relationship between biomarkers and the distance of a subject's place of residence from the SWI plant or the exposure to PM.ResultsUrinary BTEX and SPMA and blood, serum and urinary metals showed no differences between exposed and unexposed subjects. PAHs were higher in exposed than in unexposed subjects for phenanthrene, anthracene, and pyrene (median levels: 9.5 vs. 7.2 ng/L, 0.8 vs. < 0.5 ng/L and 1.6 vs. 1.3 ng/L, respectively, p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that blood Cd and Hg and urinary Mn, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene and pyrene were inversely correlated to the distance of a subject's residence from the SWI. Urinary Mn, fluorene and phenanthrene were directly correlated to PM exposure.ConclusionsThis study, although not representative of the general population, suggests that specific biomarkers may provide information about the degree of exposure the subjects working and living in the proximity of the SWI plant may have to emissions from that facility.     

Exposure to emissions from municipal solid waste incinerators and miscarriages: A multisite study of the MONITER Project

BackgroundMiscarriages are an important indicator of reproductive health but only few studies have analyzed their association with exposure to emissions from municipal solid waste incinerators.This study analyzed the occurrence of miscarriages in women aged 15–49 years residing near seven incinerators of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Northern Italy) in the period 2002–2006.MethodsWe considered all pregnancies occurring in women residing during the first trimester of pregnancy within a 4 km radius of each incinerator. Addresses were geocoded and exposures were characterized by a dispersion model (ADMS Urban model) producing pollution maps for incinerators based on PM₁₀ stack measurements and for other pollution sources based on NO_x ground measurements. Information on pregnancies and their outcomes was obtained from the Hospital Discharge Database. Simplified True Abortion Risks (STAR) × 100 estimated pregnancies were calculated. We ran logistic regressions adjusting for maternal characteristics, exposure to other sources of pollution, and sites, considering the whole population and stratifying by miscarriage history.ResultsThe study analyzed 11,875 pregnancies with 1375 miscarriages. After adjusting for confounders, an increase of PM₁₀ due to incinerator emissions was associated with an increased risk of miscarriage (test for trend, p = 0.042). The odds ratio for the highest quartile of exposed versus not exposed women was 1.29, 95% CI 0.97–1.72. The effect was present only for women without previous miscarriages (highest quartile of exposed versus not exposed women 1.44, 95% CI 1.06–1.96; test for trend, p = 0.009).ConclusionExposure to incinerator emissions is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. This result should be interpreted with those of a previous study on reproductive health conducted in the same area that observed an association between incinerator exposure and preterm births.     

From the environmental debt to the environmental loan: trends and future challenges for intergenerational discounting

It is well known that the incorporation of the intergenerational equity objective has turned the traditional Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) approach into an obsolete tool for the evaluation of certain types of projects, particularly those exhibiting many environmental externalities and those whose effects extend throughout a long period of time. Two main changes are taking place in CBA in order to adapt this methodology to the sustainable development paradigm: (a) the development of new tools for the economic valuation of environmental externalities that were traditionally left out of the analysis; and (b) an in-depth revision of the theoretical foundations underlying the traditional approaches to discounting, since the repercussions of decisions that are presently being debated will extend to a distant future (in some cases for centuries), whereas in the classical CBA, we deal with few decades at best. This paper aims at investigating the discounting operation in CBA, trying to summarize the main approaches available in the literature, with specific reference to the tools which allow future generations to be included in the analysis. In order to support the theoretical explanation, a real case study is analysed concerning the evaluation of a waste incinerator that has been constructed in the Province of Turin (Italy).     

山东省经济发展与环境保护关系的计量分析

经济增长与环境污染之间的关系常用环境库兹涅茨曲线（EKC）来描述。典型的EKC一般量倒U形。本文选取1988-2002年的山东省环境与经济数据．建立单位GDP污染排放量横型和人均GDP污染排放量模型,对山东省经济发展与环境保护之间的关系进行了计量与分析。通过单位GDP污染负荷模型分析发现。单位GDP的污染负荷量下降态势。这说明山东省产业结构调整已产生明显成效。通过人均GDP污染排放量模型发现．山东省的EKC不完全符合典型的库兹涅茨曲线特征。呈显着的三次曲线特点。其中,工业废水曲线为“U＋倒U”形．两个转折点的理论计算值分别为3416元和9975元。废气与固废曲线近似于倒U形EKC的左半部分．尚来到达转折点。由此可见．环境质量的改善并非随着收入水平的提高而自动发生。除了收入因素。影响山东省EKC的因素还有国家或地区的环境政策、工业化进程等。