An international waste convention: measures for achieving sustainable development.

Waste is a by-product of economic growth. Consequently, economic growth presents challenges for sustainable resource management and development because continued economic growth implies continued growth in waste outputs. Poor management of waste results in the inappropriate depletion of natural resources and potentially adverse effects on the environment, health and the economy. It is unsustainable. This paper begins by outlining the magnitude of and the current response to the growth in the quantity of waste outputs. This is followed by a consideration of why the international response to date, including the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21, fails to address the issue adequately. The paper concludes with a discussion on why and how an international treaty or other measure could advance sustainable development by providing an appropriate framework within which to address the problem.     

Water infrastructure and well-being among First Nations,Métis and Inuit individuals in Canada: what does the data tell us?

This paper documents the association between water and sanitation infrastructure and health indicators in Canada for First Nations, Métis and Inuit individuals living on and off-reserve in Canada. We use two data sources: the Aboriginal Peoples Survey and a survey conducted in a First Nations community in northern Manitoba—St. Theresa Point First Nation. We find statistically significant relationships between water infrastructure and health status in both sources of data. In particular, among individuals living off-reserve, contaminated water is associated with a 5–7% lower likelihood of reporting good self-rated health and a 4% higher probability of reporting a health condition or stomach problem. Those in St. Theresa Point First Nation without running water are four times more likely to report an illness relative to those with running water. Off-reserve, this likely suggests a need for improved public education on the management of private water supplies and more frequent water testing. Our case study suggests that further investment in water/sanitation infrastructure and housing is needed in the community.     

Tolerance of Hyas araneus zoea I larvae to elevated seawater PCO2 despite elevated metabolic costs

Early life stages of marine crustaceans respond sensitively to elevated seawater PCO₂. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms have not been studied well. We therefore investigated the effects of elevated seawater PCO₂ on oxygen consumption, dry weight, elemental composition, median developmental time (MDT) and mortality in zoea I larvae of the spider crab Hyas araneus (Svalbard 79°N/11°E; collection, May 2009; hatch, December 2009). At the time of moulting, oxygen consumption rate had reached a steady state level under control conditions. In contrast, elevated seawater PCO₂ caused the metabolic rate to rise continuously leading to a maximum 1.5-fold increase beyond control level a few days before moulting into the second stage (zoea II), followed by a pronounced decrease. Dry weight of larvae reared under high CO₂ conditions was lower than in control larvae at the beginning of the moult cycle, yet this difference had disappeared at the time of moulting. MDT of zoea I varied between 45 ± 1 days under control conditions and 42 ± 2 days under the highest seawater CO₂ concentration. The present study indicates that larval development under elevated seawater PCO₂ levels results in higher metabolic costs during premoulting events in zoea I. However, H. araneus zoea I larvae seem to be able to compensate for higher metabolic costs as larval MDT and survival was not affected by elevated PCO₂ levels.     

Sustainable use of stormwater for irrigation case study: Manly Golf Course

Sustainability has become an increasingly used term, but what does it mean in terms of practice. This research will look at the harvesting of captured stormwater for the irrigation of urban playing fields and what the implications are for catchment hydrology, local community, and local council. This research aims to identify, understand and determine the catchment conditions that may hinder the stormwater quality and quantity for capture and reuse, as well as determining whether the stormwater harvesting will be sustainable. Research methods for this project will include systemic analysis in order to further investigate the assumptions being made in the study. Manly Golf Club has relied on groundwater extraction supplemented by potable supplies for irrigation, however potable supplies are no longer available. It has been proposed to provide irrigation supplies from stormwater via onsite storage and groundwater recharge. Monitored stormwater entering the Golf Course from the adjacent Cemetery Creek sub-catchment for pollutants, have indicated that it may be suitable for irrigation with treatment and may reduce problems generated by overuse of groundwater. The proposal will provide environmental benefit through reduced pollution loads being discharged directly to receiving waters and cessation of use of potable supplies by the Club. Social and economic benefits are expected to be gained and will be monitored as part of an ongoing research program.     

Where to Go? Strategic Modelling of Access to Emergency Shelters in Mozambique

This paper, through spatial-analysis techniques, examines the accessibility of emergency shelters for vulnerable populations, and outlines the benefits of an extended and permanently established shelter network in central Mozambique. The raster-based modelling approach considers data on land cover, locations of accommodation centres in 2000, settlements and infrastructure. The shelter analysis is a two-step process determining access for vulnerable communities first, followed by a suitability analysis for additional emergency shelter sites. The results indicate the need for both retrofitting existing infrastructure (schools, health posts) to function as shelters during an emergency, and constructing new facilities - at best multi-purpose facilities that can serve as social infrastructure and shelter. Besides assessing the current situation in terms of availability and accessibility of emergency shelters, this paper provides an example of evaluating the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance without conventional mechanisms like food tonnage and number of beneficiaries.     

Use of agricultural land evaluation and site assessment in Whitman County,Washington, USA

Whitman County, Washington, USA, one of the largest wheat producing counties in the country, developed a land evaluation and site assessment system for evaluating proposed conversions of agricultural land to heavy commercial uses. The system uses soil potential indices to determine a land evaluation score and a nine-factor site assessment system to weigh suitability for development. Details on each of these are provided along with results for four sample sites.Scientific Paper no. 7165, College of Argiculture and Home Economics Research Paper, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, project no. 0010.     

The performance of passive flow monitors and phosphate accumulating passive samplers when exposed to pulses in external water flow rate and/or external phosphate concentrations

Passive samplers are typically calibrated under constant flow and concentration conditions. This study assessed whether concentration and/or flow pulses could be integrated using a phosphate passive sampler (P-sampler). Assessment involved three 21-day experiments featuring a pulse in flow rate, a pulse of filterable reactive phosphate (FRP) concentration and a simultaneous concentration and flow pulse. FRP concentrations were also determined by parallel grab sampling and the P-sampler calibrated with passive flow monitors (PFMs) and direct measurement of flow rates. The mass lost from the PFM over the deployment periods predicted water velocity to within 5.1, 0.48 and 7.1% when exposed to a flow rate pulse (7.5-50 cm s⁻¹), concentration pulse (5-100 μg P L⁻¹), or both simultaneously. For the P-sampler, good agreement was observed between the grab and passive measurements of FRP concentration when exposed to a pulse in flow (6% overestimation) or concentration (2% underestimation).     

Physicochemical variations in atmospheric aerosols recorded at sea onboard the Atlantic–Mediterranean 2008 Scholar Ship cruise (Part I): Particle mass concentrations,size ratios,and main chemical components

We report on ambient atmospheric aerosols present at sea during the Atlantic–Mediterranean voyage of Oceanic II (The Scholar Ship) in spring 2008. A record was obtained of hourly PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and PM₁ particle size fraction concentrations and 24-h filter samples for chemical analysis which allowed for comparison between levels of crustal particles, sea spray, total carbon, and secondary inorganic aerosols. On-board monitoring was continuous from the equatorial Atlantic to the Straits of Gibraltar, across the Mediterranean to Istanbul, and back via Lisbon to the English Channel. Initially clean air in the open Atlantic registered PM₁₀ levels <10 μg m^?3 but became progressively polluted by increasingly coarse PM as the ship approached land. Away from major port cities, the main sources of atmospheric contamination identified were dust intrusions from North Africa (NAF), smoke plumes from biomass burning in sub-Saharan Africa and Russia, industrial sulphate clouds and other regional pollution sources transported from Europe, sea spray during rough seas, and plumes emanating from islands. Under dry NAF intrusions PM₁₀ daily mean levels averaged 40–60 μg m^?3 (30–40 μg m^?3 PM_2.5; c. 20 μg m^?3 PM₁), peaking briefly to >120 μg m^?3 (hourly mean) when the ship passed through curtains of higher dust concentrations amassed at the frontal edge of the dust cloud. PM₁/PM₁₀ ratios ranged from very low during desert dust intrusions (0.3–0.4) to very high during anthropogenic pollution plume events (0.8–1).     

Chemical Mass Balance Model with Fractionation for Apportioning PM2.5: A Test Case for Los Angeles Traffic Sources

Abstract

Chemical mass balance receptor models (CMBs) use measured pollutant concentrations, along with source information, to apportion the contributions of primary sources to the measured concentrations. CMBs can be used to evaluate the accuracy of the emission inventories that underlie State Implementation Plan (SIP) modeling, by providing an allocation of emissions to individual source categories. CMBs, however, traditionally have not accounted for the chemical reaction and differential deposition or fractionation that occur between the source and receptor. This means that they have historically had severe limitations in apportioning secondary particulate matter (PM), which is an especially important component of fine PM (PM_2.5). Stafford and Liljestrand developed a method to account for fractionation in CMBs using depletion factors based on a solution of the steady-state advection-dispersion equation, including gravitational settling, dry deposition, and first-order chemical reaction. In the research presented here, the method of Stafford and Liljestrand was tested using gaseous and PM ambient concentration data from the Los Angeles, CA, air shed, along with traffic source profiles specific to Los Angeles and the CMB7 receptor model of the U.S. Environment Protection Agency. Including fractionation increased nitrate apportioned from 5% and 6% to 83% and 86% for Claremont, CA, and Long Beach, CA, respectively. This is significant, because CMBs have historically had difficulty apportioning nitrate. Including fractionation increased the ammonium apportioned by a factor of 7. The method could be used in future case studies to apportion secondary organic carbon as well.