The EU's double-track pursuit of sustainable development in the 2000s: how Lisbon and sustainable development strategies ran past each other

For almost a decade, the EU has pursued sustainable development not with one but with two overarching strategies: the so-called Lisbon Strategy and sustainable development strategies. While the Lisbon Strategy was a genuinely European policy response to global economic and social pressures, which was superseded by the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy in 2010, sustainable development strategies are ongoing cyclical processes that aim to better coordinate and integrate economic, social and, in particular, environmental policies at both the EU and Member State levels. This paper explores the horizontal governance linkages that existed between the two strategies. It first contrasts the Council rhetoric, emphasizing the complementarity of the two strategies with their different histories and governance arrangements. This paper then shows that the Council rhetoric of complementarity never materialized in the everyday governance routines of the two strategies, and provides three explanations for this finding. Based on these findings, this paper finally provides a brief outlook discussion on how to proceed with the governance of sustainable development in Europe.     

Spring phenological responses of marine and freshwater plankton to changing temperature and light conditions

Shifts in the timing and magnitude of the spring plankton bloom in response to climate change have been observed across a wide range of aquatic systems. We used meta-analysis to investigate phenological responses of marine and freshwater plankton communities in mesocosms subjected to experimental manipulations of temperature and light intensity. Systems differed with respect to the dominant mesozooplankton (copepods in seawater and daphnids in freshwater). Higher water temperatures advanced the bloom timing of most functional plankton groups in both marine and freshwater systems. In contrast to timing, responses of bloom magnitudes were more variable among taxa and systems and were influenced by light intensity and trophic interactions. Increased light levels increased the magnitude of the spring peaks of most phytoplankton taxa and of total phytoplankton biomass. Intensified size-selective grazing of copepods in warming scenarios affected phytoplankton size structure and lowered intermediate (20–200?μm)-sized phytoplankton in marine systems. In contrast, plankton peak magnitudes in freshwater systems were unaffected by temperature, but decreased at lower light intensities, suggesting that filter feeding daphnids are sensitive to changes in algal carrying capacity as mediated by light supply. Our analysis confirms the general shift toward earlier blooms at increased temperature in both marine and freshwater systems and supports predictions that effects of climate change on plankton production will vary among sites, depending on resource limitation and species composition.     

Both texting and eating are associated with impaired simulated driving performance

Objective: Distracted driving is a known contributor to traffic accidents, and many states have banned texting while driving. However, little is known about the potential accident risk of other common activities while driving, such as eating. The objective of the current study was to examine the adverse impact of eating/drinking behavior relative to texting and nondistracted behaviors on a simulated driving task. Methods: A total of 186 participants were recruited from undergraduate psychology courses over 2 semesters at Kent State University. We utilized the Kent Multidimensional Assessment Driving Simulation (K-MADS) to compare simulated driving performance among participants randomly assigned to texting (N = 45), eating (N = 45), and control (N = 96) conditions. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to examine between-group differences on simulated driving indices. Results: MANOVA analyses indicated that groups differed in simulated driving performance, F(14, 366) = 7.70, P < .001. Both texting and eating produced impaired driving performance relative to controls, though these behaviors had approximately equal effect. Specifically, both texting and eating groups had more collisions, pedestrian strikes, and center line crossings than controls. In addition, the texting group had more road edge excursions than either eating or control participants and the eating group missed more stop signs than controls. Conclusions: These findings suggest that both texting and eating are associated with poorer simulated driving performance. Future work is needed to determine whether these findings generalize to real-world driving and the development of strategies to reduce distracted driving.     

Temperature and wetland plant species effects on wastewater treatment and root zone oxidation

Constructed wetlands are widely used for wastewater treatment, but there is little information on processes affecting their performance in cold climates, effects of plants on seasonal performance, or plant selection for cold regions. We evaluated the effects of three plant species on seasonal removal of dissolved organic matter (OM) (measured by chemical oxygen demand and dissolved organic carbon) and root zone oxidation status (measured by redox potential [Eh] and sulfate [SO4(2-)]) in subsurface-flow wetland (SSW) microcosms. A series of 20-d incubations of simulated wastewater was conducted during a 28-mo greenhouse study at temperatures from 4 to 24 degrees C. Presence and species of plants strongly affected seasonal differences in OM removal and root zone oxidation. All plants enhanced OM removal compared with unplanted controls, but plant effects and differences among species were much greater at 4 degrees C, during dormancy, than at 24 degrees C, during the growing season. Low temperatures were associated with decreased OM removal in unplanted controls and broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia L.) microcosms and with increased removal in beaked sedge (Carex rostrata Stokes) and hardstem bulrush [Schoenoplectus acutus (Muhl. ex Bigelow) A. & D. L?ve var. acutus] microcosms. Differences in OM removal corresponded to species' apparent abilities to increase root zone oxygen supply. Sedge and bulrush significantly raised Eh values and SO4(2-) concentrations, particularly at 4 degrees C. These results add to evidence that SSWs can be effective in cold climates and suggest that plant species selection may be especially important to optimizing SSW performance in cold climates.     

Chemical and physical properties of dry flue gas desulfurization products

Beneficial and environmentally safe recycling of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) products requires detailed knowledge of their chemical and physical properties. We analyzed 59 dry FGD samples collected from 13 locations representing four major FGD scrubbing technologies. The chemistry of all samples was dominated by Ca, S, Al, Fe, and Si and strong preferential partitioning into the acid insoluble residue (i.e., coal ash residue) was observed for Al, Ba, Be, Cr, Fe, Li, K, Pb, Si, and V. Sulfur, Ca, and Mg occurred primarily in water- or acid-soluble forms associated with the sorbents or scrubber reaction products. Deionized water leachates (American Society for Testing and Materials [ASTM] method) and dilute acetic acid leachates (toxicity characteristic leaching procedure [TCLP] method) had mean pH values of >11.2 and high mean concentrations of S primarily as SO(2-)4 and Ca. Concentrations of Ag, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, and Se (except for ASTM Se in two samples) were below drinking water standards in both ASTM and TCLP leachates. Total toxicity equivalents (TEQ) of dioxins, for two FGD products used for mine reclamation, were 0.48 and 0.53 ng kg(-1). This was similar to the background level of the mine spoil (0.57 ng kg(-1)). The FGD materials were mostly uniform in particle size. Specific surface area (m2 g(-1)) was related to particle size and varied from 1.3 for bed ash to 9.5 for spray dryer material. Many of the chemical and physical properties of these FGD samples were associated with the quality of the coal rather than the combustion and SO2 scrubbing processes used.     

ANTIDEGRADATION WATER QUALITY CRITERIA FOR THE DELAWARE RIVER: A DISTRIBUTION-FREE STATISTICAL APPROACH1

ABSTRACT: Existing water quality for the Middle Delaware Scenic and Recreational River is significantly better than is required by current standards, leaving a potential for degradation. A method is presented for deriving candidate antidegradation water quality criteria for this segment of the Delaware River using statistical analysis of historic (ambient) water quality data. Data for 34 water quality parameters are first evaluated for data density, serial correlation, trend, seasonality, and other factors. These preliminary analyses are based on observation of data plots and application of distribution-free statistical techniques that are insensitive to outliers and are robust to relatively mild violations of basic assumptions. Data for 12 of the parameters have sufficient density for further analysis and can reasonably be modeled as independent and identically distributed over time (either seasonally or for the entire data sets). For these 12 parameters, distribution-free statistical methods are developed and used to derive intervals within which there is high confidence (usually greater than 95 percent) that the quantiles with potential use as anti-degradation criteria (the 0.85^th, 0.90^th, and 0.95^th quantiles in this study) for a particular parameter lie.     

Mad cow and related diseases: Challenges for waste management

Mad cow disease and related transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases (TSEs) in both animals and humans have received worldwide attention. Interestingly, the issue of managing biohazardous wastes, for which TSE agents are an issue, has received little attention by environmental professionals. The burial of wastes associated with mad cow and related diseases may eventually lead to unusual challenges for remediation professionals. The core challenge is that medical researchers have confirmed the incredible difficulty in destroying TSE infectious agents or pathogens, generally called prions. Risk reduction is certainly possible with treatment technologies, but complete elimination of risk by reliable and verifiable destruction of all TSE agents is probably infeasible. Proving the efficacy of any waste treatment method for TSE-infected wastes is not practical because there is no commercially available test for TSE pathogens (although one is expected soon) and in only a few cases is there a reasonable surrogate approach. These circumstances have contributed to some biohazardous waste managers discounting the TSE issue. The goal of this article is to more thoroughly analyze available information and various risks to identify useful implications for alternative waste management technologies. A number of prudent actions can be taken in recognition of the TSE problem, including more careful assessment of treatment technologies, avoiding any reuse or recycling of waste treatment residues, using air pollution control systems to avoid releases of materials possibly containing infectious agents, and using wastewater pretreatment prior to sewer disposal.     

Adsorption and transport of arsenic(V) in experimental subsurface systems

The adsorption and transport of As(V) in a heterogeneous, iron oxide-containing soil was investigated in batch and column laboratory experiments. The As(V) adsorbed rapidly to the soil over the first 48 h, but continued to adsorb slowly over the next several weeks, clearly indicating the potential for rate-limited transport. The equilibrium As(V) adsorption isotherm was markedly nonlinear, further indicating the potential for nonideal transport. A model developed for the adsorption of As(V) to hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) was able to predict the pH-dependent adsorption of As(V) to the soil in batch experiments within 0.116 to 0.726 root mean square error (RMSE). Arsenic(V) was significantly retarded in column transport experiments. The column transport experiments were modeled using the one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation, considering both linear and nonlinear adsorption equilibrium. Although the nonlinear local equilibrium model (NLLE, RMSE = 0.273) predicted the data better than the linear local equilibrium model (LLE, RMSE = 0.317), As(V) breakthrough occurred more rapidly than predicted by either model due to adsorption nonequilibrium. However, due to the presence of an irreversible or slowly desorbing fraction, the peak aqueous As(V) concentration (0.624 mg L(-1)) and the total amount of As(V) recovered (44%) was lower than predicted based on the two equilibrium models (NLLE and LLE). For the conditions used in this study [1 mg L(-1) As(V), pH 4.5 and 9,0-0.25 mM PO4, 0.53-1.6 cm min(-1) pore water velocity], the effect on As(V) mobility and recovery increased in the order pH < pore water velocity < PO4.     

The Triad approach: A catalyst for maturing remediation practice

Many individual scientific and technical disciplines contribute to the multidisciplinary field of remediation science and practice. Because of the relative youth of this enterprise, disciplinary interests sometimes compete and conflict with the primary goal of achieving protective, cost‐effective, efficient projects. Convergence of viewpoints toward a more mature, common vision is needed. In addition, cleanup programs are changing under the influence of Brownfields initiatives and the needs of environmental insurance underwriters. Investigations and cleanups increasingly need to be affordable, yet transparent and defensible. Disciplinary goals and terminology need to better reflect real‐world site conditions while being more supportive of project needs. Yet, technical considerations alone will not ensure project success; better integration of human factors into project management is also required. The Triad approach is well placed to catalyze maturation of the remediation field because it emphasizes (1) a central theme of managing decision uncertainty; (2) unambiguous technical communications; (3) shortened project life‐cycles and multidisciplinary interactions that rapidly build professional expertise and provide feedback to test and perfect programmatic and field practices; and (4) concepts from “softer” sciences (such as economics, cognitive psychology, and decision theory) to capture important human factors. Triad pushes the cleanup industry toward an integrated, practical, second‐generation paradigm that can successfully manage the complexities of today's cleanup projects. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.