The impact of demographic dynamics on food consumption and its environmental outcomes:Evidence from China

With increasing population and changing demographics,food consumption has experienced a significant transition in quantity and quality.However,a dearth of knowledge remains regarding its environmental impacts and how it responds to demographic dynamics,particularly in emerging economies like China.Using the two-stage Quadratic Almost Demand System(QUAIDS)model,this study empirically examines the impact of demographic dynamics on food consumption and its environmental outcomes based on the provincial data from 2000 to 2020 in China.Under various scenarios,according to changes in demographics,we extend our analysis to project the long-term trend of food consumption and its environmental impacts,including greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions,water footprint(WF),and land appropriation(LA).The results reveal that an increase in the proportion of senior people significantly decreases the consumption of grain and livestock meat and increases the consumption of poultry,egg,and aquatic products,particularly for urban residents.Moreover,an increase in the proportion of males in the population leads to higher consumption of poultry and aquatic products.Correspondingly,in the current scenario of an increased aging population and sex ratio,it is anticipated that GHG emissions,WF,and LA are likely to decrease by 1.37,2.52,and 3.56%,respectively.More importantly,in the scenario adhering to the standards of nutritional intake according to the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents in 2022,GHG emissions,WF,and LA in urban areas would increase by 12.78,20.94,and 18.32%,respectively.Our findings suggest that changing demographics should be considered when designing policies to mitigate the diet-environment-health trilemma and achieve sustainable food consumption.

Environmental Impact Assessment of Onshore Wind Farms in the Region of Central Greece Using a Modified RIAM Method

Wind energy is one of the most basic forms of renewable energy,which shows an increasing rate of development worldwide and also at the European level.However,this rapid deployment of wind farms makes the need for an impact assessment of this type of projects on the natural and man-made environment imperative.The present paper aims to identify and assess the environmental impacts of wind farm projects in the Region of Central Greece.A modified Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix(RIAM)method is used for this purpose.The methodology includes the identification of the existing onshore wind farm projects in the study area,the appropriate modifications of the RIAM method to respond to the characteristics of the projects and the study area,the qualitative assessment of their potential impacts during construction and operational phases and the computation of the Environmental Performance Grade(EPG)of projects based on the pro-posed modified RIAM method.The results reveal that although there are some slight negative impacts on the natural environment of the study area,the examined wind farms contribute positively both to the atmosphere and to the socio-economic environment of the study.This study extends the potential for using RIAM as a tool in environmental impact assessment studies of renewable energy projects.

Assessing environmental impact:Micro-energy network optimization in a Chinese industrial park

Micro-energy systems contribute significantly to environmental improvement by reducing dependence on power grids through the utilization of multiple renewable energy sources.This study quantified the environmental impact of a micro-energy network system in an industrial park through a life cycle assessment using the operation of the micro-energy network over a year as the functional unit and“cradle-to-gate”as the system boundary.Based on the baseline scenario,a natural gas generator set was added to replace central heating,and the light pipes were expanded to constitute the optimized scenario.The results showed that the key impact categories for both scenarios were global warming,fine particulate matter formation,human carcinogenic toxicity,and human non-carcinogenic toxicity.The overall environmental impact of the optimized scenario was reduced by 68%compared to the baseline scenario.A sensitivity analysis of the key factors showed that electricity from the power grid was the key impact factor in both scenarios,followed by central heating and natural gas.Therefore,to reduce the environmental impact of network systems,it is necessary to further optimize the grid power structure.The research approach can be used to optimize micro-energy networks and evaluate the environmental impact of different energy systems.

Opportunities to Improve the Quality of Environmental Reports and the Effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment: A Case of Electric Power Transmission Systems in Brazil

A good quality Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is key for the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and consequently to the acceptability of projects subject to EIA. The international literature has contributed to the understanding of the essential aspects to be verified regarding the quality of EIS, offering a wide spectrum of good practice examples related to the content of the studies. Even so, there is a need for empirical studies that allow the identification of specific aspects related to the context of application of the EIS, which could lead to the identification of opportunities to improve both the quality of the reports and also the effectiveness of EIA. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the quality review of a number of EIS submitted to the Brazilian Federal Environmental Agency (Ibama) to instruct the assessment of electric power transmission systems. Based on the application of the EIS quality review package as proposed by Lee and Colley (1992), the outcomes reveal opportunities for improving the scope of EIA, analysis of alternatives, prediction of magnitude and the assessment of impact significance. Finally, the development and/or adaptation of a similar tool for the systematic review of the quality of EIA reports is recommended.

Environmental Impact Assessment Follow-Up of Seismic Survey Offshore Activities in Brazil

Follow-up of environmental impacts is an integral part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, closely related to the effectiveness of the instrument. EIA follow-up has been receiving a lot of interest from scientists and practitioners, though it is recognized as one of the weakest points of EIA systems globally. Also, EIA follow-up is influenced by the context, mainly in terms of the types of projects or activities and their related impacts on the environment. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the investigation of the follow-up stage applied to the activity of seismic survey coupled with offshore oil & gas exploitation in Brazil. Research was based on a qualitative approach that included document analysis and semi-structured interviews with analysts involved in EIA processes, and sought to generate evidence of effectiveness of the EIA follow-up as conducted by the Federal Environment Agency (Ibama) in order to situate the practice of follow-up in the broader context of international best practice principles. Based on the findings, it was concluded that, due to the peculiarities of offshore seismic survey, it is necessary to promote adaptations in the procedures for monitoring impacts in order to ensure proper alignment with the principles and conceptual foundations that guide EIA practice. Specifically, the timing of the execution of the activity imposes challenges for its integration into the “conventional” cycle that has guided the monitoring of the impacts in the EIA of projects.

The evolution of central environmental protection inspection policy attention in China: An investigation based on inspection reports

The central environmental protection inspection (CEPI) system in China is a significant institutional innova‐tion in national environmental governance. The CEPI applies a joint supervision strategy to address salient en‐vironmental issues and strictly enforce the environmental responsibilities of local governments. This study col‐lects and organizes CEPI inspection reports covering three stages that encompass the first round, the “look back”, and the second round, applying text analysis to obtain sample data and conduct statistical quantifica‐tion of word frequency in inspection reports and identify notable changes. The study explores the allocation of CEPI attention between policy objectives and the intensity of policy instruments. We determine that in con‐junction with public opinion feedback, the CEPI conducts targeted inspections and focuses more on pollutant governance, which has high severity and can be addressed quickly. The CEPI fills the gap of normalized gover‐nance with a campaign-style governance approach. Regarding the intensity of policy measures, the CEPI pri‐marily uses economic incentive policy instruments, supplemented by command-and-control and public guid‐ance approaches, advancing the sustainability of regulatory effectiveness through economic, social, and politi‐cal activities. This study extends knowledge in the field of CEPI policy priorities and implementation, expand‐ing the literature related to outcomes of environmental policy in developing countries.

On the Expansion and Realization of the Right to Environmental Information in Environmental Protection Supervision

As an innovation in the environmental governance system that breaks the traditional hierarchical structure,environmental protection supervision has not only played a significant role in protecting tangible environmental rights but also expanded the basic scope of the right to environmental information—part of procedural environmental rights.In the supervision of environmental protection,the objects of the right to environmental information and the subjects of the obligation to provide environmental information have been both expanded,with the focus shifting from government information to Party information and from administrative organs to Party organs.This vividly demonstrates the Communist Party of China’s concrete efforts to protect human rights in the field of the endeavor to build an ecological civilization.At present,the realization of the right to environmental information in environmental protection supervision still faces problems such as insufficient standards and norms,disordered practice and operation,and lack of liability guarantee.In this context,based on renewing relevant subjects’cognition of the right to know in environmental protection supervision,we should further improve and specify the rule for disclosing information about environmental protection supervision,rationally distribute the obligations for information disclosure in environmental protection supervision,and clarify the accountability rules for violating relevant requirements for information disclosure,so as to promote the overall development of the environmental protection supervision system while guaranteeing the realization of the right to environmental information.

Challenges,Opportunities,and Future Research in the Integration of 5G/6G Networks,LEO Satellites,and IoT for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development at ECSTAR

The rapid proliferation of connected IoT(Internet of Things)devices,along with the increasing demand for 5G mobile networks and ubiquitous high-speed connectivity,poses significant challenges in the telecommunications sector.To address these challenges,a comprehensive understanding of the integration of 5G/6G networks and LEO(Low Earth Orbit)satellite networks is required,forming the concept of“integrated networks”.Integration offers valuable advantages,including service continuity,wide-area coverage,and support for critical communications and emerging applications.This paper provides a high-level overview of the convergence of 5G/6G,LEO satellites,and IoT devices,shedding light on the technological challenges and standardization issues associated with the transition from 5G to 6G networks using NTNs(Non-Terrestrial Networks)based on LEO satellites.Furthermore,this research delves into the emerging social issues,potential possibilities,and the paradigm shift from the IoT to the IoI(Internet of Intelligence),which is poised to revolutionize the landscape of 6G wireless networks.By highlighting the interconnectedness of 5G/6G networks,LEO satellite systems,and IoT devices,it underscores the importance of leveraging these converging technologies to address environmental protection and achieve the United Nations SDGs(Sustainable Development Goals).In addition to providing valuable insights for readers seeking to comprehend the convergence of 5G/6G networks,LEO satellite systems,and IoT devices,this paper represents the outcomes of a comprehensive analysis conducted at the ECSTAR(Excellence Center of Space Technology and Research).Through an examination of technological challenges and advancements,it identifies future research directions and potential avenues for exploration at ECSTAR,thereby contributing to a broader understanding of integrated networks and their profound impact on future telecommunications systems.This research serves as a significant resource for advancing the knowledge and discourse surrounding the linkages between the convergence of these technologies,environmental protection,and the pursuit of the SDGs.

The coupling control of biological precursors and environmental factors onβ-carotane enrichment in alkaline lacustrine source rocks:A case study from the Fengcheng formation in the western Junggar Basin,NW China

The organic-rich mudstones and dolostones of the Permian Fengcheng Formation(Fm.)are typically alkaline lacustrine source rocks,which are typified by impressively abundantβ-carotane.Abundant β-carotane has been well acknowledged as an effective indicator of biological sources or depositional environments.However,the specific biological sources of β-carotane and the coupling control of biological sources and environmental factors on the enrichment of β-carotane in the Fengcheng Fm.remains obscure.Based on a comprehensive investigation of the bulk,molecular geochemistry,and organic petrology of sedimentary rocks and the biochemistry of phytoplankton in modern alkaline lakes,we proposed a new understanding of the biological precursors of β-carotane and elucidated the enrichment mechanism of β-carotane in the Fengcheng Fm.The results show that the biological precursors crucially control the enrichment of β-carotane in the Fengcheng Fm.The haloalkaliphilic cyanobacteria are the primary biological sources of β-carotane,which is suggested by a good positive correlation between the 2-methylhopane index,7-+8-methyl heptadecanes/C_(max),C_(29%),and β-carotane/C_(max)in sedimentary rocks and the predominance of cyanobacteria with abundantβ-carotene in modern alkaline lakes.The enrichment of β-carotane requires the reducing condition,and the paleoredox state that affects the enrichment of β-carotane appears to have a threshold.The paleoclimate conditions do not considerably impact the enrichment of β-carotane,but they have some influence on the water's paleosalinity by affecting evaporation and precipitation.While it does not directly affect the enrichment of β-carotane in the Fengcheng Fm.,paleosalinity does have an impact on the cyanobacterial precursor supply and the preservation conditions.

Groundwater and environmental challenges in Asia

Asia stands out as the most populous and geographically diverse region globally.The pressing issues of water resource development and the resulting ecological impacts are exacerbated by the region's rapid population growth and economic expansion.Groundwater,a vital source of water in Asia,faces significant disparities in distribution and suffers from unsustainable exploitation practices.This study applies groundwater system theory and categorizes Asia into 11 primary groundwater systems and 36 secondary ones,based on intercontinental geological structures,climate,terrain,and hydrogeological characteristics.As of the end of 2010,Asia's assessed groundwater resources totalled 4.677×10^(9) m^(3)/a,with exploitable resources amounting to 3.274×10^(9) m^(3)/a.By considering the geological environmental impacts of groundwater development and the distinctive characteristics of terrain and landforms,six categories of effect zones with varying distribution patterns are identified.The current research on Asia's groundwater resources,environmental dynamics,and human impacts aims to provide a theoretical foundation for sustainable groundwater management and environmental conservation in the region.

Synthesis and Characterization of β-Cyclodextrin Modified Biochar Environmental Remediation Materials

In this paper, biochar (BC) was used as raw material, activated by deionizing aqueous solution, NaCl solution, CA solution and HCl solution respectively. Epichlorohydrin (EPI) was used as crosslinking agent, and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was used to modify biochar (BC). The prepared modified biochar materials were labeled with β-CDBC, β-CDBC-Na, β-CDBC-CA and β-CDBC-H, respectively. The infrared spectrum, X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope and specific surface area of the four modified materials were tested. The results showed that the C-O stretching vibration peak at 1020 cm−1 of the modified materials was slightly offset compared with that of biochar. The characteristic absorption peaks of XRD pattern decrease obviously at 2θ = 26.7˚ and 29.5˚. It can be obviously observed on the electron microscope image that the surface is loaded or formed clathrates, and BET data and graphs also show that the specific surface area of the modified biochar is larger. Therefore, β-cyclodextrin successfully modified biochar and formed clathrates on the surface of biochar or was loaded in the pore structure of biochar, especially β-CDBC-CA achieved better modification effect. Because biochar and β-cyclodextrin raw materials are cheap, easy to prepare and green, and less prone to secondary pollution, it has a good advantage in environmental governance.

A Review of the Eco-Environmental Impacts of the South-to-North Water Diversion:Implications for Interbasin Water Transfers

Interbasin water-transfer schemes provide an engineering solution for reconciling the conflict between water demand and availability.In the context of climate change,which brings great uncertainties to water resource distribution,interbasin water transfer plays an increasingly important role in the global water–food–energy nexus.However,the transfer of water resources simultaneously changes the hydrological regime and the characteristics of local water bodies,affecting biotic communities accordingly.Compared with high economic and technical inputs water-transfer projects require,the environmental and ecological implications of water-transfer schemes have been inadequately addressed.This work selects the largest water-transfer project in China,the South-to-North Water Diversion(SNWD)Project,to critically review its eco-environmental impacts on donor and recipient basins,as well as on regions along the diversion route.The two operated routes of the SNWD Project represent two typical water diversion approaches:The Middle Route uses an excavated canal,while the East Route connects existent river channels.An overview of the eco-environmental implications of these two routes is valuable for the design and optimization of future water-transfer megaprojects.

Maintenance Optimization for EMU Trains Considering Environmental Impacts and Correlations

The complexity of the actual operating environment of EMU trains and the interaction between the reliability of system components have become a huge challenge for the maintenance scheduling of EMU trains. In response to these problems, the evolution of reliability and failure rate under the influence of environmental factors, failure correlations and economy correlations is analyzed. We assume bogie systems form the EMU train in series. The failure correlation matrix of the bogie systems is modeled. With the lowest total maintenance cost as the optimization objective, a decision-making model for EMU train maintenance is established. A dynamic maintenance strategy is proposed for the model, which can improve maintenance plans efficiently. Artificial bee colony algorithm is applied to further iteratively optimize the threshold parameters in the strategy. The results are calculated and verified by a numerical example. The results show the effectiveness of the maintenance decision model. The dynamic maintenance strategy in this paper is compared with the traditional opportunistic maintenance strategy. The proposed maintenance strategy outperforms the traditional opportunistic maintenance strategy in the numerical example.

Importance of Public Engagement in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and the Benefits of Stakeholder Involvement in Project Design, Environmental Soundness, and Social Acceptability

The paper discusses the importance of public engagement in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and the benefits of stakeholder involvement in project design, environmental soundness, and social acceptability. It highlights the negative repercussions of mining activities in Ghana, including health consequences such as skin conditions, fever, coughs, diarrhea, malaria, and catarrh, as well as HIV/AIDS infection among those engaged in or connected to prostitution in mining towns. The environmental effects of mining in Ghana include noise pollution from heavy trucks, contamination of water bodies with chemicals from mineral refining, pollution of agricultural soils leading to reduced food productivity, and wildlife depletion from deforestation. The activities of small-scale miners, particularly those engaged in illicit mining, have a negative impact on water quality and increase the cost of water treatment for public consumption. Mining operations have detrimental effects on the social, cultural, and natural ecosystems in Ghana, affecting the quality of life of local communities. The study takes into consideration the impact of mining activities on the environment and natural resources in Ghana, as these are vital to the livelihoods of Ghanaian communities. Stakeholders in Tarkwa claim that mining operations have distorted the natural path of the river, leading to excessive pollution and making the water unfit for consumption. Ghana’s economy depends heavily on mining, which also contributes significantly to GDP and generates jobs for a large number of people. But mining also has a lot of negative repercussions, the effects of mining extend beyond the mineralized zone initially explored, highlighting the need to consider the environmental impact at every phase of the mining process.

Environmental complaint insights through text mining based on the driver,pressure,state,impact,and response(DPSIR)framework:Evidence from an Italian environmental agency

Individuals,local communities,environmental associations,private organizations,and public representatives and bodies may all be aggrieved by environmental problems concerning poor air quality,illegal waste disposal,water contamination,and general pollution.Environmental complaints represent the expressions of dissatisfaction with these issues.As the timeconsuming of managing a large number of complaints,text mining may be useful for automatically extracting information on stakeholder priorities and concerns.The paper used text mining and semantic network analysis to crawl relevant keywords about environmental complaints from two online complaint submission systems:online claim submission system of Regional Agency for Prevention,Environment and Energy(Arpae)(“Contact Arpae”);and Arpae's internal platform for environmental pollution(“Environmental incident reporting portal”)in the Emilia-Romagna Region,Italy.We evaluated the total of 2477 records and classified this information based on the claim topic(air pollution,water pollution,noise pollution,waste,odor,soil,weather-climate,sea-coast,and electromagnetic radiation)and geographical distribution.Then,this paper used natural language processing to extract keywords from the dataset,and classified keywords ranking higher in Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency(TF-IDF)based on the driver,pressure,state,impact,and response(DPSIR)framework.This study provided a systemic approach to understanding the interaction between people and environment in different geographical contexts and builds sustainable and healthy communities.The results showed that most complaints are from the public and associated with air pollution and odor.Factories(particularly foundries and ceramic industries)and farms are identified as the drivers of environmental issues.Citizen believed that environmental issues mainly affect human well-being.Moreover,the keywords of“odor”,“report”,“request”,“presence”,“municipality”,and“hours”were the most influential and meaningful concepts,as demonstrated by their high degree and betweenness centrality values.Keywords connecting odor(classified as impacts)and air pollution(classified as state)were the most important(such as“odor-burnt plastic”and“odor-acrid”).Complainants perceived odor annoyance as a primary environmental concern,possibly related to two main drivers:“odor-factory”and“odorsfarms”.The proposed approach has several theoretical and practical implications:text mining may quickly and efficiently address citizen needs,providing the basis toward automating(even partially)the complaint process;and the DPSIR framework might support the planning and organization of information and the identification of stakeholder concerns and priorities,as well as metrics and indicators for their assessment.Therefore,integration of the DPSIR framework with the text mining of environmental complaints might generate a comprehensive environmental knowledge base as a prerequisite for a wider exploitation of analysis to support decision-making processes and environmental management activities.

Assessing the impact of manufacturing agglomeration on environmental pollution in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region using spatial panel data model

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is the vanguard of economic development in northern China.Its manufacturing industry is more and more developed,but environmental pollution is also more serious.Based on the data of 13 cities in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2017 to 2021,the paper verifies the impact of manufacturing agglomeration on environmental pollution.Both manufacturing agglomeration and environmental pollution are dependent on spatial distribution.Therefore,the paper selects spatial econometric model to study.First,the spatial lag model and spatial error model are constructed,and then the spatial lag model is selected through the results of OLS regression,LM Test and Hausman test,and the empirical process is carried out.Finally,the empirical results are analyzed and the conclusion is drawn.

Development Trend of Energy and Key Points of Ecological Environment Protection in China's "14^(th) Five-Year Plan" Period

From the changes of total primary energy consumption and primary energy consumption structure,installed capacity and power generation of secondary energy(electricity),etc.,the development characteristics of China's energy structure in the"13^(th) Five-Year Plan"period was comprehensively studied.Combined with the complexity of the international situation,the diversification of the domestic energy system,the intelligence of the energy industry,etc.,the situation and challenges faced by China's energy development were deeply discussed in the four aspects of energy security,energy low-carbon transformation,energy system efficiency,and energy technology level.From the angle of ecological environment protection,the development of energy in the"14^(th) Five-Year Plan"period in China was analyzed,and some policies and measures were put forward.

The Protection of Human Rights in the Construction of Barrier-free Environment--Viewed from the perspective of the Marxist Human Rights Concept

The construction of a barrier-free environment contains a rich connotation of human rights protection,and is closely related to the study of human rights protection in China.With the evolution of the concept of barrier-free design and the expansion of its beneficiary groups,constructing a barrier-free environment has become a basic task that benefits all members of society and meets the public needs of all the people,with its core goal expanding from the protection of the rights of the disabled to the protection of the basic rights and interests of all members of society.Building a barrier-free environment from the perspective of the Marxist human rights concept is conducive to safeguarding the people’s right to subsistence and development,and at the same time,it satisfies their demand for the right to pursue a high-quality and better life and reflects the common vision of everyone in society fully enjoying human rights.promoting the construction of a barrier-free environment in terms of legal protection based on China’s institutional advantages can improve and innovate the country’s legislation on the construction of a barrier-free environment,so as to play an exemplary and guiding role in enhancing the international barrier-free level and enable all people to enjoy the good life created through the drive to build a barrier-free environment.

Main issues in research and practice of environmental protection for water conservancy and hydropower projects in China

In this paper,we generally summarize the main issues in the operational period of water conservancy and hydropower projects in China over the past several decades.First,the adverse impacts of these projects since the technical guidelines were proposed in 2006 are analyzed.Then,combined with projects and experience from 2006 to 2014,the four main issues are summarized:(1) There exist many questions in the design and construction of fishways,which are useful for fish migration,and the migration effects are not as expected.(2) Temperature stratification affecting the downstream fish is the major impact of temperature,and alters fish spawning in the reproduction season.(3)Ecological base flow has been one of the primary questions of the last 30 years in China,the greatest related difficulty being quantification of the amount and flow process necessary to satisfy fish life history.(4) Fish habitat protection and restoration are popular topics in recent years with the development of river ecosystem restoration.Fish habitat loss due to the impacts of dam construction and habitat fragmentation has become more and more serious.These four issues are now the main difficulties in water project management,and interact with one another to bear combined effects on river ecosystems.The issues of eco-hydraulic consideration in the design period are the key factors.Finally,future priorities for research and practice of environmental protection for water conservancy and hydropower projects in China are proposed.The main purpose of this paper is to enhance the scientific research,monitoring,and assessment of operating effectiveness.

Study on the Priority and Interaction of Food Security,Food Safety and Environmental Protection

Food security, food safety and environmental protection are major livelihood issues in front of the Chinese people. The priorities of the three are different, and there is mutually dependent and contradictory relationship among them. Facing the triple pressures of food security, food safety, and environmental protection, this paper analyzes the priority of the three from the historical development, then further analyzes the interaction between food security,food safety and environmental protection and finally puts forward the healthy development of food security, food safety and environmental protection, and the proper settlement of the three problems.