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.

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.

Assessing the Environmental Impact of Extensive Beef Production in Grazing Lands of Argentina

Because of environmental constraints,beef cattle was for more than a century the only viable farming option in the extensive semiarid and subhumid lands of Argentina and the main source of nutrients for humans as well.However,a growing concern and criticism have risen today about its possible negative impact on the climate and the environment.These worries tend to affect current public opinions,national policies,and international trade.Based on 40 beef cattle farms scattered across different semiarid and subhumid regions of Argentina,here we evaluated the impact of extensive cattle production on carbon,water,and nutrient pollution.Life-Cycle Assessment(LCA)and Land-Based Assessment(LBA)were the two approaches we used here to compare the environmental impact of beef production.While the environmental footprint(EF)resulting from LCA expresses the impact per unit of food,the environmental balance(EB),derived from LBA,aims at quantifying the impact per unit of land.As such,the EB considers both negative and positive impacts on the farm as an integrated system.Following standardized procedures,we evaluated EF and EB up to the farm gate,leaving aside delocalized post-farm impacts such as those of processing,packaging,and transportation that occur beyond the farm gate.In agreement with previous evidence,our results show that the EF tends to decrease as per-head production increases.Correlation coefficients and statistical significance were the following for carbon(R=−0.574;p<0.01),water(R=−0.561;p<0.01),and N(R=−0.704;p<0.01)and Phosphorus(P)pollution(R=−0.802;p<0.01)footprints.On the contrary,the EB seems to be highly sensitive,and as per-hectare beef production increases.Correlations were the following for carbon emissions(CE:R=0.955;p<0.01),water consumption(WC:R=0.822;p<0.01),nitrogen excretion(NE:R=0.948;p<0.01)and phosphorus excretion(PE:R=0.945;p<0.01).What our results suggest is that the notion of EF is useful to evaluate the environmental impact in intensive beef production systems,and the EB is suitable to assess the impact of the extensive ones.In practice,both approaches provide different perspectives on the environmental-impact problem and they should be complementary used.We concluded that the methodological rigidity of EF does not allow proper discrimination among farms in the extensive systems.On the contrary,the EB approach tended to be highly sensitive to detecting differences between individual farms and farmers,thus allowing the identification of successful options for extensive beef production in terms of public image,policy-making,and commercial opportunities.

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.

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.

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.

Management of Significant Environmental Aspects and Impacts in Accordance with the ISO 14001:2015 Standard during the Operation and Maintenance Phase of Senegal River Basin Development Authority Hydroelectric Works and Facilities: The Case of Manantali Dam

This study aims to determine the environmental aspects and impacts of the phase relating to the operation of Manantali’s hydroelectric structures and facilities according to the requirements of the ISO 14001 version 2015 standard. To do this, the mapping of the different work areas made it possible to identify all the activities within the framework of the farm. Based on the mapping, environmental measurements made including noise level, brightness, electric and magnetic fields, total particles, PM10, PM2.5, PM1 showed the work areas with the exposure limit values exceeded. The inventories of the waste produced show eighteen (18) types of waste, 67% of which are special industrial waste (SIW), 28% are ordinary industrial waste (OIW) and 5% are inert industrial waste (IIW). The identification and assessment of environmental aspects and impacts made it possible to determine sixteen (16) positive and negative significant environmental aspects (ESAs). The positive AES must be maintained, and for the negative ones, mitigation and mitigation measures must be put in place in order to manage them effectively. This will ultimately improve environmental management in the operation of hydroelectric structures and facilities.

Environmental and Human Impacts of Lancang-Mekong Mainstem and Tributary Dams on China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam

The Lancang-Mekong River in China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam is the soul and heart of mainland Southeast Asia. Over 60 million people depend on the river and its tributaries for food, transportation, water, and other necessities of life. The river supports one of the world’s most diverse fisheries, second only to Brazil’s Amazon River. Lancang-Mekong and tributaries are already heavily dammed primarily in China, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia, with many more dams planned or under construction. Dams can worsen the impact of periodic droughts in the Lancang-Mekong basin and block the river’s “pulse effect” that spreads water and nutrients needed for fishing and farming onto the floodplains and delta. The headwaters of the Lancang are in China and its waters are considered a national resource. China regards the Lancang, Yangtze and Yellow rivers as a free resource rather than a shared resource. The primary difference between these rivers is the Lancang flows from China into and through other countries and not directly into a sea or ocean. China and Myanmar have not joined the Mekong River Commission (MRC) as full members but have been Dialogue Partners since 1996. Over the past thirty years, China’s Lancang policies and actions have reflected its national resource interests. China has actively engaged with individual transboundary countries at various levels including environmental, conservation, and economic agreements. The primary objective of this study is to assess the environmental and human impacts of all Lancang-Mekong mainstem and tributary dams and the plans by many countries for more hydropower utilizing the potential of the river as the continent’s energy lifeline. Future dams need to include fish ladders and navigation locks to reduce the environmental impacts on fish populations, natural resources, navigation, and livelihoods. Strengthening of international collaboration via the MRC or by individual or multiple country agreements to address Lancang-Mekong’s sustainable transboundary development goals is recommended. When new Lancang-Mekong and tributary dams are built within any of the transboundary watershed countries, additional communities will need to be resettled. Significant environmental and human impacts are observed. Steps will have to be taken by all the concerned countries to prevent these problems and to ensure that people’s livelihoods are restored after resettlement.

Impact of an official accountability audit on industrial structure adjustment:a case study of environmental regulation in China

As a unique environmental regulation in China,the official accountability audit was piloted in 2014.With a focus on prioritizing the ecological environment,officials in pilot districts have implemented economic construction,adjusted industrial structures,and promoted coordinated development between the economy and environment.The effects of implementation have garnered widespread attention from society.However,there is limited research on the impact of an accountability audit on industrial structure adjustments.Using the“Accountability Audit of Officials for Natural Resource Assets(Trial)”released in 2015 as a quasi-natural experiment,this study collected panel data from 279 cities between 2013 and 2017.It then empirically analyzed the impact mechanism and effects of the accountability audit on industrial structure adjustment using the Propensity Score Matching and Difference-in-Differences model.The research findings indicate that the accountability audit directly impacted industrial structure adjustment,promoting the upgrading of the primary industry to the secondary industry and restricting the development of the tertiary industry.In addition,the audit is beneficial for enterprise entry,but not conducive to technological innovation,and has no significant impact on foreign direct investment.This conclusion fills a gap in the existing research and provides valuable insights for policymakers.

Research on the impact of manufacturing servitization on environmental pollution:spatial econometric analysis of sulfur dioxide based on 284 prefecture-level cities

Using China’s regional input–output table,the paper constructs indicators of manufacturing servitization,matches manufacturing servitization at the regional level with city data,and uses spatial econometrics to empirically analyze the impact of manufacturing servitization on urban sulfur dioxide(SO_(2))emissions within the classical Environmental Kuznets Curve(EKC)framework.The results show that manufacturing servitization can reduce SO_(2) emissions.Producer servitization and consumptive services can both significantly reduce industrial SO_(2) emissions.Transportation and warehousing servitization,information servitization,leasing,and commercial servitization,technology research and development servitization significantly reduce SO_(2) emissions;technology research and development servitization,in particular,have the largest influence coefficient,while the reduction effect of servitization in the wholesale and retail and finance sectors is not significant.The study also found that servitization reduced the SO_(2) emissions through technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading.

Textile industry innovations in dyeing and finishing processes:Minimizing environmental impact

Textiles are one of the oldest industries in the world which has been manufacturing fabrics and materials needed for various purposes.However,the industry has been confronted with some problems regarding its pollution;specifically the dyeing and finishing processes.As for the given issues,there has been a trend in recent years to come up with more environmentally friendly solutions.

Analysis of the Impact of Big Data Technology on Environmental Pollution Control Audit

As China strives towards the second centenary goal,increasing attention is being paid to environmental pollution and other related issues.Concurrently,with the rapid development of big data technology,many big data solutions have been applied to environmental pollution control audits,exerting a significant impact.This paper presents the current situation of environmental pollution audits,summarizing the application of big data from the perspectives of both domestic and international research.In terms of data collection and data analysis for environmental pollution audits,cloud platform technology,and visualization technology are selected based on multiple data sources.The impact in the field of environmental pollution control audits is further analyzed.It is found that the environmental pollution audit cloud platform is not yet perfect,the technical skills of audit personnel are insufficient,and some technologies are not mature.Relevant suggestions are put forward to provide a reference for the future development of big data technology and its integration with environmental pollution control audits.

Establishment of human cerebral organoid systems to model early neural development and assess the central neurotoxicity of environmental toxins

Human brain development is a complex process,and animal models often have significant limitations.To address this,researchers have developed pluripotent stem cell-derived three-dimensional structures,known as brain-like organoids,to more accurately model early human brain development and disease.To enable more consistent and intuitive reproduction of early brain development,in this study,we incorporated forebrain organoid culture technology into the traditional unguided method of brain organoid culture.This involved embedding organoids in matrigel for only 7 days during the rapid expansion phase of the neural epithelium and then removing them from the matrigel for further cultivation,resulting in a new type of human brain organoid system.This cerebral organoid system replicated the temporospatial characteristics of early human brain development,including neuroepithelium derivation,neural progenitor cell production and maintenance,neuron differentiation and migration,and cortical layer patterning and formation,providing more consistent and reproducible organoids for developmental modeling and toxicology testing.As a proof of concept,we applied the heavy metal cadmium to this newly improved organoid system to test whether it could be used to evaluate the neurotoxicity of environmental toxins.Brain organoids exposed to cadmium for 7 or 14 days manifested severe damage and abnormalities in their neurodevelopmental patterns,including bursts of cortical cell death and premature differentiation.Cadmium exposure caused progressive depletion of neural progenitor cells and loss of organoid integrity,accompanied by compensatory cell proliferation at ectopic locations.The convenience,flexibility,and controllability of this newly developed organoid platform make it a powerful and affordable alternative to animal models for use in neurodevelopmental,neurological,and neurotoxicological studies.

Pathogenesis of Parkinson＇s disease： oxidative stress, environmental impact factors and inflammatory processes

Current hypothesis of neuronal degeneration in Parkinson＇s disease （PD） have been proposed, including formation of free radicals and oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity, trophic factor deficiency, inflammatory processes, genetic factors, environmental impact factors, toxic action of nitric oxide, apoptosis, and so on. This review mainly discussed oxidative stress, environmental impact factors, and inflammatory processes in PD.

Impacts of Environmental Factors on the Structure Characteristics of Avian Community in Shanghai Woodlots in Spring

From March to May, 2004, we selected 8 typical parks or green lands in Shanghai downtown as the study sites to conduct a ornithological research. During this study, total 55 species of birds were recorded, which included 31 resident and 24 migratory species. With statistics methodology, we analyzed the avian communities with 10 major environmental factors covering the park area, water percentage, vegetation species, canopy cover, shrub cover, grass cover, hill number, location condition, human quantity, path width, the study results indicated that: (1) the following 7 environmental factors were important to impact the structures of the avian community, they were park area, vegetation species, shrub coverage, grass coverage, hill number, location condition of the parks and path width; (2) the avian community of theses urban parks tended to deteriorate in the bird number and diversity; the man-made lake which was currently promoted in the park designing and planning process would not be good to attract the birds.

Pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease: oxidative stress, environmental impact factors and inflammatory processes

Current hypothesis of neuronal degeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been proposed, including formation of free radicals and oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, excitotoxicity, trophic factor deficiency, inflam- matory processes, genetic factors, environmental impact factors, toxic action of nitric oxide, apoptosis, and so on. This review mainly discussed oxidative stress, environmental impact factors, and inflammatory processes in PD.

The Diversity of the Environmental Impact in Kurzeme

The analysis of environmental impact effects on forest ecosystems has a theoretical and practical nature. Many methods have been developed to determine characteristics and intensity of this impact. Methodologically, they can be divided into three groups： environmental parameter, bioindicative and combined methods. To evaluate the environmental impact a combined method was used in this study, it was based on trees as the bioindicators and their response reactions, and environmental parameter analysis. In this study the bioindicator was Norway spruce （Picea abies （L.） Karst.）, whose response reaction was used to explain total impact volumes of environmental factors in different places in the region of Kurzeme and try to interpret the causes of these differences. As the bioindicators criterion was used response reaction of Norway spruce during a period of 20 years, which was expressed with cumulative and annual additional volume increment, and was depending on the location of the stand and its morphometric characteristics. The empirical material was collected in Kurzeme region in 28 sample plots that are located on two transects and in one reference stand. For the evaluation the widths of the last 40 year growth rings were measured. To express the environmental impact in Kurzeme region a multiple regression model was developed, which explains the environmental impact in the volume of 68.2%, the rest part can be explained by the local conditions of each stand. It must be noted that methodology used in this study is very sensitive, thus, each of the nuances in the dynamics of volume＇s annual reduced additional increments has biological and ecological cause.

Dynamic Changes of Nitrogen in Saline-alkaline Paddy Field and Its Potential Environmental Impacts

[Objective] The paper was to study the dynamic changes of nitrogen in saline-alkaline paddy field and its potential environment impacts. [Method] With typical sodic saline-alkaline paddy fields of Songnen Plain as study object,field test method was used to explore the dynamic changes was strong alkof nitrogen in paddy field of the region and its potential impact on environment. [Result] The soil in test regionaline with high CEC and C/N ratios,as well as poor preserving capacity of fertilizer. During the two-year field experiment,the indicators of salinization fluctuated. Initially,the concentrations of total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen reached their maximum values,then decreased over time as a result of heavy rain. The maximum of nitrate concentration appeared later than those of total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen. Ammonia volatilization accounted for 18.9%-28.8% of the nitrogen loss. The total nitrogen concentration in surface water was higher than the national Class Ⅲ surface water environmental quality standard. The concentration of ammonia from the recession flow of agricultural field was considerably high,which would potentially threaten the fishery in the downstream of Chagan Lake. [Conclusion] The study provided theoretical basis for saline-alkaline soil management and conservation of water and fishery resources.

Environmental impact assessment of China’s primary aluminum based on life cycle assessment

Assessing and accounting for material consumption and environmental impact are necessary to measure environmental externalities of the aluminum industry and to construct an ecological civilization.In this research,life cycle assessment(LCA)theory was used to assess the environmental impact of primary aluminum based on the lime soda Bayer process and different power generation modes,and the sources and distributions of the four selected impact categories were analyzed.The results show that,(1)Negative environmental impact of aluminum industry generally occurs from alumina extraction,carbon anode fabrication and electrolysis,particularly electrolysis and alumina extraction.Primary energy demand(PED),water use(WU),global warming potential(GWP)and freshwater eutrophication potential(FEP)are main environmental impact categories.(2)The environmental load with thermal power is higher than that with hydropower,e.g.,for the former,the greenhouse gas emission coefficient of 21800 kg CO2 eq/t(Al)will be generated,while for the latter,4910 kg CO2 eq/t(Al)will be generated.(3)Both power mode methods reflect the energy structure,whereas direct emissions reflect the technical level,indicating the potential for large energy savings and emission reductions,and some policies,related to clean power,energy efficiency and technological progress,should be made for emission reduction.

Methods for Integrating Energy Consumption and Environmental Impact Considerations into the Production Operation of Machining Processes

Energy consumption and environmental impact considerations of machining processes are viewed as important issues for the global trends towards sustainable manufacturing. The existing research of reducing energy consumption and environmental impacts of machining processes greatly focuses on design and planning activities, but is reasonably sparse for production operation activities. This paper explores a systematic methodology that incorporates energy consumption and environmental impact considerations into the production operation of machining processes. Firstly, the framework of the methodology is proposed to establish the generic procedures for integrating the above considerations in production operation activities. As the two key issues of the framework, the profile index value matrix is determined by valuing the individual quantity of energy consumption and environmental impacts of machining each job on each machine, and the multi-criteria models are constructed by the operational methods. Furthermore, with the guideline of the framework, the specific formulations are modeled by two sub-models for the parallel machine scheduling problem, in which makespan and energy consumption are the optimizing objectives as well as the constraints of environmental impact considerations. The specific formulations provide a practical method to integrate energy consumption and environmental impact considerations into the scheduling activity, and also can serve as a reference to other activities in the production operation. The case study for a batch of jobs, including seven kinds of gears in the machining shop floor, is presented to demonstrate the application of the specific formulations of the methodology. The proposed methodology provides potential opportunities for reducing energy consumption and environmental impacts in machining processes, and helps production managers in decision-making on the issues of energy consumption and environmental impacts in the production operation.