Cost-Effectiveness of Alternative Strategies in Mitigating the Greenhouse Impact of Waste Management in Three Communities of Different Size

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change - Waste management is a significant source of methane (CH4) emissions. CH4 is second to carbon dioxide (CO2) the most important anthropogenic...     

Use of contract models to improve environmental outcomes in transport infrastructure construction

The type of contract model may have a significant influence on achieving project objectives, including environmental and climate change goals. This research investigates non-standard contract models impacting greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in transport infrastructure construction in Australia. The research is based on the analysis of two case studies: an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) contract and a Design and Construct (D&C) contract with GHG reduction requirements embedded in the contractor selection. Main findings support the use of ECIs for better integrating decisions made during the planning phase with the construction activities, and improve environmental outcomes while achieving financial and time savings.     

Mitigation of global greenhouse gas emissions from waste: conclusions and strategies from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report. Working Group III (Mitigation).

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from post-consumer waste and wastewater are a small contributor (about 3%) to total global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Emissions for 2004-2005 totalled 1.4 Gt CO2-eq year(-1) relative to total emissions from all sectors of 49 Gt CO2-eq year(-1) [including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and F-gases normalized according to their 100-year global warming potentials (GWP)]. The CH4 from landfills and wastewater collectively accounted for about 90% of waste sector emissions, or about 18% of global anthropogenic methane emissions (which were about 14% of the global total in 2004). Wastewater N2O and CO2 from the incineration of waste containing fossil carbon (plastics; synthetic textiles) are minor sources. Due to the wide range of mature technologies that can mitigate GHG emissions from waste and provide public health, environmental protection, and sustainable development co-benefits, existing waste management practices can provide effective mitigation of GHG emissions from this sector. Current mitigation technologies include landfill gas recovery, improved landfill practices, and engineered wastewater management. In addition, significant GHG generation is avoided through controlled composting, state-of-the-art incineration, and expanded sanitation coverage. Reduced waste generation and the exploitation of energy from waste (landfill gas, incineration, anaerobic digester biogas) produce an indirect reduction of GHG emissions through the conservation of raw materials, improved energy and resource efficiency, and fossil fuel avoidance. Flexible strategies and financial incentives can expand waste management options to achieve GHG mitigation goals; local technology decisions are influenced by a variety of factors such as waste quantity and characteristics, cost and financing issues, infrastructure requirements including available land area, collection and transport considerations, and regulatory constraints. Existing studies on mitigation potentials and costs for the waste sector tend to focus on landfill CH4 as the baseline. The commercial recovery of landfill CH4 as a source of renewable energy has been practised at full scale since 1975 and currently exceeds 105 Mt CO2-eq year(-1). Although landfill CH4 emissions from developed countries have been largely stabilized, emissions from developing countries are increasing as more controlled (anaerobic) landfilling practices are implemented; these emissions could be reduced by accelerating the introduction of engineered gas recovery, increasing rates of waste minimization and recycling, and implementing alternative waste management strategies provided they are affordable, effective, and sustainable. Aided by Kyoto mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI), the total global economic mitigation potential for reducing waste sector emissions in 2030 is estimated to be > 1000 Mt CO2-eq (or 70% of estimated emissions) at costs below 100 US$ t(-1) CO2-eq year(-1). An estimated 20-30% of projected emissions for 2030 can be reduced at negative cost and 30-50% at costs < 20 US$ t(-) CO2-eq year(-1). As landfills produce CH4 for several decades, incineration and composting are complementary mitigation measures to landfill gas recovery in the short- to medium-term--at the present time, there are > 130 Mt waste year(-1) incinerated at more than 600 plants. Current uncertainties with respect to emissions and mitigation potentials could be reduced by more consistent national definitions, coordinated international data collection, standardized data analysis, field validation of models, and consistent application of life-cycle assessment tools inclusive of fossil fuel offsets.     

波罗的海蓝藻赤潮的历史

波罗的海所发生的赤湖,主要是由Nodudaria spupmigena和Aphanizomenon sp.这两种蓝藻形成的.有关这些赤潮的长期变化记录可以从过去(1887～1938年)和现代(1974～1998年)出版的浮游植物数据记录中找到.通过各种不同的收集、分析方法已经得到了大量的数据,为了提高这些数据的可比性,人们正在不断地尝试老的、新的采样方式与固定方法.l00多年前,浮游生物就做为鱼类的食物来源而引起了人们的兴趣;富营养化问题主要出现在南部的礁湖(haffs)以及大城市附近的海边水ro域.二战前,很少有关于开阔海域赤潮的报道.在过去的营养环境中,Nodudaria spupmlgena和Aphanizomenon sp.的数量还很少,从l 887～1938年的137个夏季采样中表明它们的丰度还没有达到过最高峰.在现在的营养环境中,高丰度是非常普遍的,这两个物种的数目范围相对于过去的营养环境来说有了明显的增长.自20世纪60年代以来,蓝藻赤潮在波罗的海本体与芬兰湾的开阔海域是非常常见的,这表明了营养物已经高度丰富.     

Prenatal diagnosis of the infantile type of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis by electron microscopic investigation of human chorionic villi

Chorionic villus biopsy specimens were studied electron microscopically in six pregnancies at risk of the infantile type of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (INCL). The biopsy was performed in all cases in the first trimester of pregnancy (8–10 gestation weeks) by the transcervical route. In one case, the biopsy was repeated at 17 weeks by the transabdominal procedure. In two pregnancies, the endothelial cells and, to a lesser extent, the mesenchymal cells of the chorionic villi contained unit membrane-bound inclusions typical of INCL. In both cases, the pregnancy was terminated and in one of them identical inclusions were found in the brains and kidneys of the fetus at 20 weeks of gestational age. The children from the remaining four pregnancies are healthy and have shown no signs of the disease.     

Assessing the impact of CO2 emission control scenarios in Finland on radiative forcing and greenhouse effect

Carbon dioxide emission reduction scenarios for Finland are compared with respect to the radiative forcing they cause (heating power due to the absorption of infrared radiation in the atmosphere). Calculations are made with the REFUGE system model using three carbon cycle models to obtain an uncertainity band for the development of the atmospheric concentration. The future emissions from the use of fossil fuels in Finland are described with three scenarios. In the reference scenario (business-as-usual), the emissions and the radiative forcing they cause would grow continuously. In the scenario of moderate emission reduction, the emissions would decrease annually by 1% from the first half of the next century. The radiative forcing would hardly decrease during the next century, however. In the scenario of strict emission reductions, the emissions are assumed to decrease annually by 3%, but the forcing would not decrease until approximately from the middle of the next century depending on the model used. Still, in the year 2100 the forcing would be considerably higher than the forcing in 1990. Due to the slow removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere by the oceans, it is difficult to reach a decreasing radiative forcing only by limiting fossil CO₂ emissions. The CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels in Finland contribute to the global emissions presently by about 0.2%. The relative contribution of Finnish CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels to the global forcing due to CO₂ emissions is presently somewhat less than 0.2% due to relatively smaller emissions in the past. The impact of the nonlinearity of both CO₂ removal from the atmosphere and of CO₂ absorption of infrared radiation on the results is discussed.     

Bark salicylates and condensed tannins reduce vole browsing amongst cultivated dark-leaved willows (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salix myrsinifolia</Emphasis>)

Summary. Vole feeding amongst herbal willows that have a high concentration of salicylates in their bark and leaves, and may therefore be cultivated for use as raw material for herbal medicine was tested in the field and in laboratory conditions. Eight clones of dark-leaved willow (Salix myrsinifolia Salisb.) were cultivated for two years with six different methods combining three fertilisation levels (none, low and high), black plastic mulch applied for suppressing weed competition and unmulched control. Samples for the laboratory feeding trial were taken from the unfertilised plants during willow winter dormancy and twigs were fed to 16 voles as a multi-choice experiment. The bark area removed was calculated from image analysis of the material left by the voles. The diameter and the bark thickness of the twigs were measured. Concentrations of salicin, salicortin, HCH-salicortin, picein, triandrin, triandrin derivative, gallocatechin, (+)-catechin, luteolin-7-glucoside, hyperin, total condensed tannins and total nitrogen were measured from the twigs fed to voles in the laboratory. Browsing by a natural population of voles amongst winter-dormant willows was measured in the field. In the laboratory, voles browsed on 80% of the twigs and in the field voles browsed on 33% of the twigs. Vole feeding followed similar patterns in the field and in the laboratory experiment; feeding was clearly higher amongst the plants grown in unmulched control compared to those in plastic mulch. The same clones, 1, 2 and 6 were preferred in both experiments. Voles preferred thin twigs to thick ones. Feeding correlated negatively with concentrations of salicylates and tannins. As vole feeding seems to be highly affected by willow cultivation method and plant genotype, careful selection of cultivated clones and cultivation methods can enhance the reliability of herbal willow cultivation.     

Integrating nature-based tourism and forestry in private lands under heterogeneous visitor preferences for forest attributes

Developing nature-based tourism in private lands calls for new mechanisms to consolidate the interests of the tourism industry, visitors, and landowners. This choice experiment study elaborates on the heterogeneity of visitors’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for enhanced forest amenities and ecosystem services. The survey, targeting domestic and foreign tourists visiting the Ruka-Kuusamo area in Finland, considered four attributes: landscape quality, outdoor routes, forest biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. For observed heterogeneity, the visitors were grouped by their attitudes towards forest management. Unobserved heterogeneity in visitors’ choice behaviour and WTP was examined with the latent class model. While most visitors had environmentally friendly attitudes and were willing to pay, especially for enhanced landscape quality and biodiversity, considerable heterogeneity was revealed in terms of three segments with distinctive attitudes, choice behaviour and WTP. The variation in WTP has important implications for the design of a scheme of payments for environmental management.     

Understanding consistencies and gaps between desired forest futures: An analysis of visions from stakeholder groups in Sweden

Conflicting perspectives on forests has for a long time challenged forest policy development in Sweden. Disagreements about forest futures create intractable deadlocks when stakeholders talk past each other. The purpose of this study is to move beyond this situation through the application of participatory backcasting. By comparing visions of the future forest among stakeholder groups, we highlight contemporary trajectories and identify changes that were conceived as desirable. We worked with four groups: the Biomass and Bioenergy group, the Conservation group, the Sami Livelihood group and the Recreation and Rural Development group; in total representatives from 40 organizations participated in workshops articulating the groups’ visions. Our results show well-known tensions such as intrinsic versus instrumental values but also new ones concerning forests’ social values. Identified synergies include prioritization of rural development, new valued-added forest products and diversified forest management. The results may feed directly into forest policy processes facilitating the process and break current deadlocks.