Comparative analysis using EIA for developed and developing countries: case studies of hydroelectric power plants in Pakistan,Norway and Sweden

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an important legislative and scientific tool that may assist and improve the quality assistance for the decision-making process in sustainable development. Here, a comparison of EIAs from three cases of hydropower projects in Pakistan, Norway and Sweden is reported. A huge difference concerning the incorporation of environmental considerations into the decisionmaking process between developed and developing countries is observed. The EIA system of Pakistan appears to be less efficient in the application and review process. In addition, the appraisal of issues, the decision-making process and evaluation through post-monitoring is not as well performed in Pakistan as in cases of hydroelectric power plants in Sweden and Norway. The key reason for this shortcoming is misconceptions about the EIA process, which initially receives intense attention but becomes weakened by the time of implementation. This implies that there is a need to adopt simplified and flexible EIA techniques suitable for the infrastructure and resources of a specific country, taking into account institutional, technical and financial constraints. Improvements are required in public participation, awareness, as well as in environmental control and data system sectors in Pakistan, besides simply enacting legislation to achieve the goals of the EIA system.     

A community-based approach to low-income residential energy efficiency participation barriers

Financial barriers are often cited as the principle impediment to the adoption of energy efficiency measures. Since 1976, the US Department of Energy's Weatherisation Assistance Programme (WAP) has provided state block grants for no-cost, low-income energy efficiency retrofits. Yet, millions of low-income American households lack affordable, reliable, and efficient energy access. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 boosted WAP's annual appropriation from $230 million to $5 billion, requiring states to explore innovate approaches to quickly increasing programme participation. Community-based energy programmes have shown success for overcoming various barriers and increasing participation in the adoption of energy technologies. This case study explores a community-based approach to scaling WAP-funded energy efficiency retrofits in a cluster of five urban, low-income, majority African-American neighbourhoods, known as the Green Impact Zone (GIZ), in Kansas City, Missouri. Findings from interviews with GIZ stakeholders suggest that local context is important to how energy efficiency participation barriers manifest. The targeted, community-based approach to WAP created institutional capabilities for increased recognition of participation challenges and facilitated opportunities for alternative solutions that may otherwise have been overlooked under the standard self-referral implementation of WAP. Lastly, effective implementation of WAP required policy workarounds that recognised the unique characteristics and needs of the target community.     

Window of opportunity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Liparis loeselii</Emphasis> populations during vegetation succession on the Wadden Sea islands

The present study aims at assessing the life span of populations of the orchid L. loeselii during successional in dune slacks on the Wadden Sea islands. An inventory of Liparis loeselii populations was carried out on 6 islands, while the population structure was assessed in more detail on the island of Texel. The occurrence of the orchid was related to soil factors and hydrological conditions. Groundwater levels were measured in a dune area with natural dune slack formation. The groundwater composition was analyses and the freshwater lenses were modelled. Various scenarios were investigated, including sea level rise and sand nourishment. The window of opportunity for L. loeselii to colonize a new slack is relatively narrow. Under favorable management, the population can survive c. 20 years. Soil pH was positively correlated with the occurrence of L. loeselii populations, while a high organic matter content was negatively correlated. Sites with large populations of L. loeselii, were situated in young dune slacks, that functioned as flow-through lakes and has top soilsinfluenced by anoxic calcareous groundwater. Modelling showed that the freshwater lens would decrease due to sea level rise, while artificial sand nourishment could counteract this effect. The populations of the Hors area on Texel, the Netherlands, can survive for several decades due to continuous formation of new slacks. Discharge of calcareous groundwater is essential to keep the pH on a high level. The hydrological systems that supply dune slack with groundwater are relatively small and are vulnerable for changes in sea level rise.     

Exposure to ultrafine and fine particles and noise during cycling and driving in 11 Dutch cities

Recent studies have suggested that exposures during traffic participation may be associated with adverse health effects. Traffic participation involves relatively short but high exposures. Potentially relevant exposures include ultrafine particles, fine particles (PM_2.5) and noise.Simultaneously, detailed real time exposure of particle number concentration (PNC), PM_2.5 and noise has been measured while driving and cycling 12 predefined routes of approximately 10–20 min duration. Sampling took place in eleven medium-sized Dutch cities on eleven weekdays in August till October 2006. To investigate variability in cyclists exposure, we systematically collected information on meteorology, GPS coordinates, type of road, traffic intensity, passing vehicles and mopeds while cycling.The overall mean PNC of car drivers was 5% higher than the mean PNC of cyclists. The overall mean concentration of PM_2.5 in the car was 11% higher than during cycling. Slightly higher 1-min peak concentrations were measured in the car (PNC 14%; PM_2.5 29% for 95-percentiles). Shorter duration peaks of PNC were higher during cycling (43% for 99-percentile of 1-s averages). Peaks in PNC typically last for less than 10 s. A large variability of exposure was found within and between routes. Factors that significantly predicted PNC variability during cycling were: passing vehicles (mopeds, cars), waiting for traffic lights, passing different types of (large) intersections and bicycle lanes and bike paths close to motorized traffic. No relation was found between PM_2.5 and those predictor variables. The correlation between PNC and noise was moderate (median 0.34). PM_2.5 had very low correlations with PNC and noise.PNC and PM_2.5 exposure of car drivers was slightly higher than that of cyclists. PNC was largely uncorrelated with PM_2.5 and reflected local traffic variables more than PM_2.5. Different factors were associated with high PNC and high noise exposures.     

Environmental bonds and the challenge of long-term carbon sequestration

The potential to capture carbon from industrial sources and dispose of it for the long-term, known as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), is widely recognized as an important option to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. Specifically, CCS has the potential to provide emissions cuts sufficient to stabilize greenhouse gas levels, while still allowing for the continued use of fossil fuels. In addition, CCS is both technologically-feasible and commercially viable compared with alternatives with the same emissions profile. Although the concept appears to be solid from a technical perspective, initial public perceptions of the technology are uncertain. Moreover, little attention has been paid to developing an understanding of the social and political institutional infrastructure necessary to implement CCS projects. In this paper we explore a particularly dicey issue--how to ensure adequate long-term monitoring and maintenance of the carbon sequestration sites. Bonding mechanisms have been suggested as a potential mechanism to reduce these problems (where bonding refers to financial instruments used to ensure regulatory or contractual commitments). Such mechanisms have been successfully applied in a number of settings (e.g., to ensure court appearances, completion of construction projects, and payment of taxes). The paper examines the use of bonding to address environmental problems and looks at its possible application to nascent CCS projects. We also present evidence on the use of bonding for other projects involving deep underground injection of materials for the purpose of long-term storage or disposal.     

Seasonal exports of phosphorus from intensively fertilised nested grassland catchments

We carried out a one year (2002) study of phosphorus (P) loss from soil to water in three nested grassland catchments with known P input in chemical fertilizer and animal liquid slurry applications. Chemical fertilizer was applied to the grasslands between March and September and animal slurry was applied over the twelve months. The annual chemical P fertilizer applications for the 17 and 211 ha catchments were 16.4 and 23.7 kg P/ha respectively and the annual slurry applications were 10.7 and 14.0 kg P/ha, respectively. The annual total phosphorus (TP) export in stream-flow was 2.61, 2.48 and 1.61 kg P/ha for the 17, 211 and 1524 ha catchments, respectively, compared with a maximum permissible (by regulation) annual export of ca. 0.35 kg P/ha. The export rate (ratio of P export to P in land applications) was 9.6% and 6.6% from the 17 and 211 ha catchments, respectively. On average, 70% of stream flow and 85% of the P export occurred during the five wet months (October to February) indicating that when precipitation is much greater than evaporation, the hydrological conditions are most favourable for P export. However the soil quality and land use history may vary the results. Particulate P made up 22%, 43% and 37% of the TP export at the 17, 211 and 1524 ha catchment areas, respectively. As the chemical fertilizer was spread during the grass growth months (March to September), it has less immediate impact on stream water quality than the slurry applications. We also show that as the catchment scale increases, the P concentrations and P export decrease, confirming dilution due to increasing rural catchment size. In the longer term, the excess P from fertilizer maintains high soil P levels, an antecedent condition favourable to P loss from soil to water. This study confirms the significant negative water quality impact of excess P applications, particularly liquid animal slurry applications in wet winter months. The findings suggest that restricted P application in wet months can largely reduce the P losses from soil to water.     

Black carbon: the reverse of its dark side

The emission of black carbon is known to cause major environmental problems. Black carbon particles contribute to global warming, carry carcinogenic compounds and cause serious health risks. Here, we show another side of the coin. We review evidence that black carbon may strongly reduce the risk posed by organic contaminants in sediments and soils. Extremely efficient sorption to black carbon pulls highly toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, polybrominated diphenylethers and pesticides into sediments and soils. This increased sorption is general, but strongest for planar (most toxic) compounds at environmentally relevant, low aqueous concentrations. Black carbon generally comprises about 9% of total organic carbon in aquatic sediments (median value of 300 sediments), and then may reduce uptake in organisms by up to two orders of magnitude. This implies that current environmental risk assessment systems for these contaminants may be unnecessarily safe.     

Ecotypic differentiation in the kelpLaminaria saccharina: Phase-specific adaptation in a complex life cycle

Comparison of cultured sporophytes and gametophytes in common-garden experiments confirmed the existence of ecotypic differences in light-related traits among populations ofLaminaria saccharina (L.) Lamour. Cultured sporophytes from the turbid habitat in Long Island Sound, New York, USA, grew faster under both limiting and saturating daily irradiances than sporophytes from shallow and deep habitats along the Atlantic coast of Maine. Rapid growth of turbid plants was attributable to several factors, including high photosynthetic capacity and efficiency [due to differences in photosynthetic unit (PSU) number and size], low respiration rates, and high surface area:weight ratios. In contrast to sporophytes, microscopic gametophytes from the three kelp populations grew at similar rates under limiting and saturating daily irradiances. Biomass-specific photosynthesis vs irradiance (PI) parameters were similar for gametophytes from the shallow, deep, and turbid sites, despite population differences in chlorophyll-specific PI parameters and PSU characteristics. However, turbid gametophytes produced microscopic sporophytes more rapidly than gametophytes from the shallow and deep sites, apparently due to a lower blue-light requirement for gametogenesis. Ecotypic differences in sporophytes and gametophytes ofL. saccharina from shallow, deep, and turbid habitats can be understood as phase-specific adaptations.     

Mosaicism or pseudomosaicism: The problem of hypermodal cells in amniotic fluid cell culture

A series of 2029 consecutive amniotic fluid specimens studied for prenatal genetic diagnosis were reviewed and reassessed so as to evaluate the frequency and clinical significance of hypermodal cells in amniotic fluid cell cultures. Hypermodal cells were defined as those with more than 46 chromosomes, and were characterized by an additional structurally normal or structurally abnormal chromosome. Of 2029 specimens, 47 (2.31 per cent) contained a total of 167 hypermodal cells. True fetal mosaicism was detected in three cases (0.14 per cent). All had hypermodal cells in more than one culture flask or colony which contained the same aberrant chromosome complement. In all but one case the babies were normal when only one cell was hypermodal, or when several cells were hypermodal but present in only one colony or one culture vessel. One case had an extra No. 20 chromosome in one cell. Although the child had multiple anomalies, they were not characteristic of trisomy 20, and subsequent chromosomal study on the baby postnatally revealed a 46,XX karyotype. The in situ coverslip technique is recommended as the preferred method for prenatal diagnosis, and it is useful as an aid in differentiating true mosaicism from pseudomosaicism.     

The relationship between metal concentrations and phenotypes in the Baltic clam Macoma balthica (L.) from the Gulf of Gdansk, southern Baltic

Soft tissue accumulated concentrations of nine metals (V, As, Se, Ag, Cd, Pb, Mn, Cu and Zn) were studied in two main phenotypes (1) according to external shell colour (white and pink), and (2) according to shell shape (shell with a rounded posterior end--"regular" and with an elongate posterior end and a notable flexure--"irregular") of the Baltic clam Macoma balthica from southern Baltic Sea off Poland. No differences in metal concentrations were observed between colour-based phenotypes. By contrast, "irregular" clams exhibited generally higher concentrations of all elements in their tissues than "regular" bivalves. This finding provides the first reference on a potential linkage of shell deformation with tissue metal concentrations within one entire population of clams living in the same habitat. Different ability of metal handling in the shape-based phenotypes is presumably related to different physiological capacity of the bivalves induced by the selection effect of specific environmental conditions. It is suggested that unfavourable conditions in deep waters of the Gulf of Gdansk (e.g. hypoxia/anoxia, hydrogen sulphide, elevated bioavailability of metals) induces, in a certain part of the population, morphological deformation of shell (thereby leading to irregular shape) and in parallel physiological adaptations which result in greater sensitivity to trace metals of "irregular" clams. This hypothesis however, requires further investigation with special focus on genetic divergences between phenotypes because till now we cannot exclude the co-occurrence of two types (semi-species) of clams in the Gulf: an Atlantic type and a Baltic type. Genetic analysis with a use of DALP technique revealed strong intrapopulational polymorphism but no fingerprints or intraspecific polymorphism characterising any of the phenotypes considered (both colour- and shape-based). Since eight polymorphic loci were clearly identified further studies of population genetic structure hold optimistic promise.