Contributions toward sustainable development: a bibliometric analysis of sustainability reporting research

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The study determines the development of the sustainability reporting domain using a dataset of publications extracted from the Web of Science (WoS)...     

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Africa: a review of environmental levels

Several studies have shown an increase in PCB sources in Africa due to leakage and wrongly disposed transformers, continuing import of e-waste from countries of the North, shipwreck, and biomass burning. Techniques used in the recycling of waste such as melting and open burning to recover precious metals make PCBs contained in waste and other semivolatile organic substances prone to volatilization, which has resulted in an increase of PCB levels in air, blood, breast milk, and fish in several regions of Africa. Consequences for workers performing these activities without adequate measures of protection could result in adverse human health effects. Recent biodegradation studies in Africa have revealed the existence of exotic bacterial strains exhibiting unique and unusual PCB metabolic capability in terms of array of congeners that can serve as carbon source and diversity of congeners attacked, marking considerable progress in the development of effective bioremediation strategies for PCB-contaminated matrices such as sediments and soils in tropical regions. Action must be taken to find and deal with the major African sources of these pollutants. The precise sources of the PCB plume should be pinned down and used to complete the pollutant inventories of African countries. These nations must then be helped to safely dispose of the potentially dangerous chemicals.     

Contamination status of arsenic and other trace elements in drinking water and residents from Tarkwa, a historic mining township in Ghana

This study was conducted to assess the contamination status of 22 trace elements, especially As in water and residents in Tarkwa, a historic mining town in Ghana. Drinking water and human urine samples were collected from Tarkwa in addition to control samples taken from Accra, the capital of Ghana in March, 2004. Concentrations of As and Mn in some drinking water samples from Tarkwa were found above the WHO drinking water guidelines posing a potential health risk for the people. A potential health risk of As and Mn is a concern for the people consuming the contaminated water in this area. No significant difference of As concentrations in human urine between mining town (Tarkwa) and control site (Accra) was observed. Although As concentrations in drinking water in Tarkwa were low, urinary As levels were comparable to those reported in highly As-affected areas in the world. These results suggest the presence of other sources of As contamination in Ghana. This is the first study on multi-elemental contamination in drinking water and human from a mining town in Ghana.     

The connection between urbanization and carbon emissions: a panel evidence from West Africa

Environment, Development and Sustainability - This study examined the nexus between urbanization and carbon emissions in West Africa. Second-generation econometric techniques that are robust to...     

Participatory incremental slum upgrading towards sustainability: an assessment of slum dwellers’ willingness and ability to pay for utility services

The concept of participatory slum upgrading has received attention in the conventional literature because it ensures and promotes the sustainability of slum-upgrading programmes. In participatory slum-upgrading programmes, slum dwellers are treated as partners, instead of recipients of the services that are provided to mitigate their deprivations. The concept thrives on the willingness and ability of slum dwellers to pay for the services. The ability of slum dwellers to pay for services, unlike their willingness to pay, has received limited research attentions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the willingness and ability of residents of a slum settlement in Kumasi in Ghana to pay for utility services. Semi-structured interview schedules were used to gather primary data from a total of 276 households. The survey data were supplemented with data from key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The results show that almost nine out of every ten households were willing to pay for water and electricity services, if these services would be supplied to them directly by the state providers. The exploitation of the residents by unregulated utility services providers partly explains their willingness to pay for the utility services. These service providers charged almost 14 times the official tariffs. The results further show that all the households who were willing to pay were also capable of paying for the services without compromising their ability to afford other life essentials. The study concludes that slum regularisation policies, programmes and projects could be designed to be incremental and participatory by making the slum dwellers, partners and drivers of the upgrading process.     

Urban Waste Pollution in the Korle Lagoon, Accra, Ghana

The Korle Lagoon in Accra, Ghana, has become one of the most polluted water bodies on earth. It is the principal outlet through which all major drainage channels in the city empty their wastes into the sea. Large amounts of untreated industrial waste emptied into surface drains has led to severe pollution in the lagoon and disrupted its natural ecology. The increased levels of industrial activity and consumption by the urban population lead to the generation of copious quantities of waste. Managing the volume of wastes poses a major challenge for the city authorities, particularly, ensuring that all the waste generated is collected for disposal. In Accra, the Waste Management Department is currently capable of collecting only 60 percent of the waste generated daily. The rest is dumped in open spaces, in surface drains, and into water bodies which end up in the Korle Lagoon. High eutrophication levels have developed in the shallow water body. The net effect is that, at the slightest downpour, the lagoon overflows its banks causing regular flooding in parts of the city.The Government of Ghana, having realized the adverse impacts of pollution in the lagoon on the physical and economic environment of Accra, with the support of donor agencies, is implementing measures to restore the lagoon to its natural ecology. Attempts are also being made to get the communities in the catchment area to become involved in managing their environment through environmental education and awareness programes.     

Urban green area provides refuge for native small mammal biodiversity in a rapidly expanding city in Ghana

Urbanization is a key driver of global biodiversity loss. Although sub-Saharan African countries are experiencing unprecedented urbanization and urban expansion, very little is known about how this impacts tropical biodiversity. Here, we assessed the effects of urban expansion and urban green space on local small mammal species diversity in Accra, Ghana. We surveyed small mammals in the University of Ghana botanical garden, an urban green area (UGA) and adjoining built-up environment (BE) and compared the results with baseline data (BLD) collected when large areas of the current city still remained mostly undeveloped. The methodology involved live-trapping using Sherman collapsible live-traps. Our data showed higher small mammal abundance and diversity in the UGA than BE. Similarity of species composition was higher between UGA and BLD than between BE and BLD. The small mammal species captured in BE (the rodents Mastomys erythroleucus, Rattus rattus, and Arvicanthis rufinus, and the shrew Crocidura olivieri) are known to easily adapt to human-modified landscapes. Our results suggest that urbanization negatively influenced the abundance, diversity, and community composition of small mammals. Efforts should be directed towards the integration of urban green areas into urban land development planning in developing countries in order to conserve local wildlife and ecological services that enhance the quality of urban life.     

Impact of mining and forest regeneration on small mammal biodiversity in the Western Region of Ghana

Much of the terrestrial biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa is supported by tropical rainforest. Natural resource development, particularly surface mining in the rainforest, poses great risks to the region’s rich and endemic biodiversity. Here, we assessed the impact of surface mining and the success of forest rehabilitation on small mammal diversity in the Western Region of Ghana. We surveyed small mammals in the project area and two adjoining forest reserves (control sites) before the mining operation and 10 years after mine closure and forest rehabilitation (topsoil replacement and revegetation). The forest reserves recorded higher species abundance than the mining areas. Majority of the species captured in the forest reserves, including Hylomyscus alleni, Praomys tullbergi, Malacomys cansdalei, and Hybomys trivirgatus, are forest obligate species. Only one individual each of H. alleni and P. tullbergi was captured in the naturally regenerated areas (core areas of mining activities that were allowed to revegetate naturally), while 32 individuals belonging to four species (Lophuromys sikapusi, Mus musculoides, Mastomys erythroleucus, and Crocidura olivieri) were recorded in the rehabilitated areas. Our data suggested negative effects of mining on small mammal diversity and the restoration of species diversity and important ecological processes after rehabilitation of altered habitats. We strongly encourage deliberate conservation efforts, particularly the development of management plans that require the restoration of degraded land resulting from mining activities.     

Determination of some heavy metal levels in soft drinks on the Ghanaian market using atomic absorption spectrometry method

Twenty-three soft drink samples (i.e., four pineapple-based fruit drinks, eight citrus-based fruit juices, one soya-based drink, three cola carbonated drinks, one apple-based fruit drink, and six cocktail fruit drinks) were randomly purchased from retail outlets in an urban market in Accra and analyzed for the concentrations of iron, cobalt, cadmium, zinc, lead, and copper using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean concentration of iron and cadmium were 0.723?±?0.448 mg/L and 0.032?±?0.012 mg/L, respectively. The mean cobalt concentration was 0.071?±?0.049 mg/L, while the mean Zn concentration in the samples was 0.060?±?0.097 mg/L. The mean concentrations of Pb and Cu in the fruit juice samples were 0.178?±?0.091 mg/L and 0.053?±?0.063 mg/L respectively. About 78 % of the samples exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) maximum contaminant level of 0.3 mg/L prescribed for iron, whereas all the samples exceeded the USEPA maximum contaminant level of 0.005 mg/L prescribed for cadmium. About 91 % of the samples exceeded the EU maximum contaminant level prescribed for lead insoft drinks.