Does financial development moderate the link between technological innovation and environmental indicators?An advanced panel analysis

This study analyzes the role of financial development(FD)on the impact of technologi-cal innovation(TI)on six environmental quality indicators for the 25 economies that are part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development for the period from 2000 to 2019.We use a two-step dynamic generalized method of moments approach to understand this relationship.The results show that FD augments the posi-tive effects of TI on four of the six environmental indicators,namely ecological foot-print,adjusted net savings,pressure on nature,and environmental performance.However,no significant effects on environmental sustainability and environmental vulnerability indices were found.When considering all of the environmental quality indicators,TI appears to enhance environmental quality.We find evidence to support the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve in the context of each environmen-tal indicator and economic growth.Moreover,FD and energy consumption appear to accelerate environmental degradation.Based on these results,FD should be viewed as an important parameter in designing policies for innovation to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions.Highlights.Technological innovation and environmental quality nexus is studied.The moderating role of financial development is analyzed.Six different environmental quality indicators are used for OECD countries.Financial development intensifies the environmental benefits of innovation.•The EKC hypothesis is confirmed for all six environmental indicators.

Multi-indicator assessment of water environment in government environmental auditing

This study focused on a multi-indicator assessment methodology for governmental environmental auditing of water protection programs. The environmental status of Wuli Lake in China was assessed using the global indicators （driver-status-response） developed by the Commission on Sustainable Development, and four additional indicators proposed by the author： water quality, pollution load, aquatic ecosystem status, and lake sediment deposition. Various hydrological, chemical, biological and environmental parameters were used to estimate the values of the indicators for assessment of environmental status of the lake based on time series data sets for twenty years. The indicators proposed can be customized to meeting the needs for particular assessment of water protection programs. This method can be used to evaluate the performance of national environmental protection programs and provide technical support for environmental auditors.

A Review of Research Progress in the Genesis of Colloform Pyrite and Its Environmental Indications

Colloform pyrite is a special form of nano-micro polycrystalline aggregation growth, for which a suitable term is ＂aggregates of nano-micro crystals＂. This kind of colloform texture is observed in various geological bodies, such as ancient sedimentary rocks, modern marine and lake sediments, various types of ore deposits, and modern seafloor hydrothermal vents. This paper summarizes the latest developments and research into the definition, formation mechanisms, and environmental indications of colloform pyrite. There appears to be three main formation mechanisms of colloform pyrite： pseudomorphic replacement; biogenic precipitation; and inorganic precipitation. The morphology, particle size, trace element content and preferential growth orientations of coUoform pyrite microcrystals can be important indicators for sedimentary environments, hydrothermal activity, and ore-forming processes. We suggest that the microscopic features of nano-micro crystals in colloform pyrite and their aggregation growth patterns need further investigation. The relationships between formation mechanisms of colioform pyrite, organic activity and depositional environments require further exploration. To reveal the nature of nano-micro grain aggregation growth in colloform pyrite and analyse its growth environment and evolutionary history, it is supposed to apply nanoscientific and nanotechnological methods, further integrate consideration of macroscopic geological backgrounds and microscopic mineral growth phenomena, combine high-resolution imaging systems and in situ quantitative microanalysis methods and constitute a mergence of earth science, thermodynamics and kinetics, life science, material science, and chemistry in the study.

Effect of hemoperfusion cartridge on different internal environmental indicators

BACKGROUND:This study aimed to observe the effect of hemoperfusion(HP) cartridge on different internal environment indicators at different time points in patients with acute blood poisoning and to find alternative indicators for the detection of blood poisoning.METHODS:The levels of internal environment indicators(blood pH,P_vCO_2,P_vCO_2,blood lactate,potassium,free calcium,bicarbonate,and blood glucose) before and after HP treatment were recorded for patients with acute poisoning at time points of 30 minutes and 120 minutes.After calculating the difference value 5,the statistical software was used to analyze the statistical difference of the influence caused by HP cartridge at two time points.According to the formula,adsorption rate%=(a-v)/a×100,the adsorption rate of each indicator was calculated respectively.RESULTS:The difference of indicators at different time points in inlet and outlet such as blood glucose,free-calcium,and lactate was statistically significant(P<0.05),but the difference in indicators such as pH,P_vCO_2,P_vO_2,potassium,sodium,and bicarbonate was not statistically significant(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:During HP treatment,the indicators of blood glucose,free-calcium and lactate were significantly affected by HP cartridge,and the effect varies with time.

Quantitative Assessment of Implicit Environmental Impacts of Construction Projects

Assessment system of implicit environmental impacts was established including environmental impact indicator, resources consumption indicator and energy consumption indicator. The quantification of environmental impact indicators is based on the life cycle assessment system of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry （SETAC） and the evaluation software BEES. Normalization reference values and weights of 12 categories of environmental impacts were identified, and the environmental impact indicators in the phases of raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, use and end of life were analyzed. By analyzing the environmental performance of a university refectory as a case study, it is demonstrated that human health, global wanning and acidification are the first three environmental impacts in 12 categories. The total implicit environmental impact load per square meter of this project is 18.448 × 10 ^-2 standard human equivalent weight. Moreover, 97.3% of total environmental impacts occur in the phase of raw material extraction.

Linking of Environmental and Health Indicators by Neural Networks:Case of Breast Cancer Mortality,Slovak Republic

This study deals with the analysis of relationship between 67 environmental indicators in geological environment and breast cancer mortality in Slovakia. Primary data comprises a database of 67 environmental indicators for groundwater and soils as a mean value for every Slovak municipality and the data on relative mortality from breast cancer for Slovak municipalities (about 2900) collected for the period of 22 years. The training neural network was used as a mathematical model for data analysis. The top 200 networks have identified 12 environmental indicators (8 for soils: pHKCl, carbonates, Ca, Mg, Na, Co, Sr and 4 for groundwater: Ba, SiO2, Zn, Fe) with high rate of influence. As the most influential environmental indicator was identified pHKCl in soil that should be within the range of acids, definitely under the neutral point. Most of environmental indicators were unambiguously identified as negative (Mg, Ca, Sr, carbonates, Ba, SiO2, Zn and Fe). These indicators should be at the lowest level of their concentration in related geological component. Three environmental indicators, Ce, Na and Co had parabolic function where certain essential concentration levels of these elements are presumed with protective effect on human health. For all influential indicators limit values with respect to the lowest mortality were proposed. The verification of achieved results was performed through regressive model of breast cancer mortality for 12 calculated influential environmental indicators for all municipalities in the Slovak Republic. The revealed difference between real mortality levels and the model values was found for 6 environmental indicators (pHKCl, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Zn). Each executed limit has decreased breast cancer mortality for about 0.79 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Hydrologic Thresholds of Ecosystem Resiliency:Have Wetlands on the Anoka Sand Plain Changed over Time?

Wetlands have long been used as environmental indicators for changes in climate and land use because they are sensitive to hydrologic change;however,wetlands set in transmissive groundwater can be more resilient to climate and land use change.In Anoka County,Minnesota,USA,a monitoring network was established in 1997 and maintained by the Anoka Conservation District to the present day to assess wetland hydrologic response over time.We examined a combination of data including water level(stage)from these wetlands,precipitation from local gages,pan evaporation data,and historical land use,including a measure of runoff flashiness,using regression and k-mean analysis.Results did not detect any clear trends over a 25-year time period,though some p-values showed potential.A clear statistical trend in the measured hydrologic parameters would suggest exceedance beyond historical thresholds of natural hydrologic variation and alert the need to better protect wetlands and groundwater from anthropogenic stress.Study results may provide useful information to management and regulatory decisions for wetland systems set in sandy soils.This is particularly important for Anoka County because most wetlands are intrinsically connected to the surficial ASP(Anoka Sand Plain)Aquifer,which overlay vulnerable deeper aquifers used for domestic water supply.

Preliminary Report on the Anurans of Mount Hilong-hilong, Agusan Del Norte, Eastern Mindanao, Philippines

Mount Hilong-hilong is a key biodiversity area, spanning several municipalities in the provinces of the Caraga Region （Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur）, northeastern Mindanao Island, southern Philippines. The Hilong-hilong massif remains one of the most signiifcant forested areas in Mindanao, threatened with habitat modification （forest removal, degradation） and other anthropogenic disturbances related to renewable resource extraction. Amphibians are key indicator species for environmental quality and are useful focal taxa for conservation efforts. Relying on historical museum database information and new survey work on Mount Hilong-hilong, we provide species accounts and describe microhabitat preferences of the anurans （frogs and toads） present in the area. Twenty-seven species representing seven anuran families were studied in detail at elevations between 700 to 1300 meters above sea level; 16 of these species are Mindanao faunal region endemics. Qualitative overlap in microhabitat use was observed, suggesting that, for the species recorded, intact forest may ensure species persistence to some levels of anthropogenic disturbance. A more extensive herpetofaunal survey is needed to fully estimate the herpetofaunal diversity of Mount Hilong-hilong. Because amphibians represent ifne-scale indicators of environmental quality and microendemism, we recommend appropriate ifne-scaled regional strategies geared towards the conservation of amphibians in the Caraga area, northeast Mindanao Island.

Diversity, composition and host-species relationships of epiphytic orchids and ferns in two forests in Nepal

Epiphytic plant species are an important part of biological diversity. It is therefore essential to understand the distribution pattern and the factors influencing such patterns. The present study is aimed at observing the patterns of species richness, abundances and species composition of epiphytic orchids and ferns in two subtropical forests in Nepal. We also studied the relationship of host plants(Schima wallichii and Quercus lanata) and epiphyte species. Data were collected in Naudhara community forest(CF) and the national forest(NF) in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate tests. In total, we recorded 41 species of epiphytes(33 orchid and 8 fern species). Orchid species abundance is significantlyhigher in CF compared to NF. Orchid species richness and abundance increased with increasing southern aspect whereas it decreased with increasing canopy cover, and fern species richness increased with host bark roughness. Orchid abundance was positively correlated with increasing bark p H, stem size, tree age and tree height and negatively correlated with increasing steepness of the area. Likewise, fern abundances were high in places with high canopy cover, trees that were tall and big, but decreased with increasing altitude and southern aspect. The composition of the orchid and fern species was affected by altitude, aspect, canopy cover, DBH, number of forks and forest management types. We showed that the diversity of orchid and fern epiphytes is influenced by host characteristics as well as host types. The most important pre-requisite for a high epiphyte biodiversity is the presence of oldrespectively tall trees, independent of the recent protection status. This means:(i) for protection, e.g.in the frame of the national park declaration, such areas should be used which host such old tall trees;and(ii) also in managed forests and even in intensively used landscapes epiphytes can be protected by letting a certain number of trees be and by giving them space to grow old and tall.

Carbon Footprint of Tourism Sector in Portugal-Calculator Development

A carbon footprint(CF)calculator was developed to apply to a Portuguese touristic accommodation to contribute to a sustainable touristic activity.Although some calculators are available online,they are related to the country reality or use outdated emission factors.A calculator based on national emission factors is important.The calculator was developed in Microsoft Excel(version 365)and is based on the CO2e emissions resulting from electricity,water,fuels and food use,laundry and waste production.The calculator development involved:study the accommodation emission sources,selection the environmental indicators,determination of the emission factors and development of the CF formulas.Total CF calculation was made considering the partial CF per component,a monthly and annual comparison of each indicator’s emissions contribution using graphs.The emissions amount per overnight stay,per room,per area,were also assessed and these values were transformed into global hectare(gha).Avoided emissions calculation gives the information about the efforts in CF reduction,and two indicators were considered:electricity production from renewable energy sources and the amount of separated waste for recycling.It was considered reforestation measures to achieve carbon neutrality.This calculator incorporates four components not often used:water,laundry,waste,food,and avoided emissions.

The Potential of Earth Observation Based Indicators to Assess the State of Urban Environment: An Application for the Urban Agglomeration of Athens

Earth observation (EO) provides the opportunity for periodic and spatially detailed assessment of the state of the environment in urban areas. In this study, the potential of EO based indicators (EI) to assess the state of environment in the urban agglomeration of Athens (UAA) is examined. EO based indicators as used in the study, include land surface temperature, land use, land cover and aerosols distribution. The indicators are also related to the household density and population density, as extracted from census data, for the same area. Indicators are applied at the municipal scale and are also used to estimate an aggregate environmental indicator (AEI), at municipal scale, by integrating all indicators mentioned above in a GIS environment. It is found that the urban agglomeration of Athens is practically “dichotomized”, by being divided in a western and eastern area, with considerably different environmental conditions. Results are considered important for focused interventions supporting environmental urban planning, whereas they represent the high potential of EO based indicators to monitor and assess the state of the urban environment.

A Scalable Synthesis of Multiple Models of Geo Big Data Interpretation

The paper proposes a scalable fuzzy approach for mapping the status of the environment integrating several distinct models exploiting geo big data. The process is structured into two phases: the first one can exploit products yielded by distinct models of remote sensing image interpretation defined in the scientific literature, and knowledge of domain experts, possibly ill-defined, for computing partial evidence of a phenomenon. The second phase integrates the partial evidence maps through a learning mechanism exploiting ground truth to compute a synthetic Environmental Status Indicator (ESI) map. The proposal resembles an ensemble approach with the difference that the aggregation is not necessarily consensual but can model a distinct decision attitude in between pessimistic and optimistic. It is scalable and can be implemented in a distributed processing framework, so as to make feasible ESI mapping in near real time to support land monitoring. It is exemplified to map the presence of standing water areas, indicator of water resources, agro-practices or natural hazard from remote sensing by considering different models.

The Environmental Functions and Ecological Effects of Organic Carbon in Silt

Silt is a kind of unconsolidated sediment consisting of fine particles;silt is generally deposited across wide areas on the surfaces of drainages and in oceans under static or slow-hydrodynamic conditions. The organic carbon(OC) in silt has multiple essential environmental functions. This paper elaborates the morphological and environmental indication functions of OC in silt, and the effect of its own migration and transformation on environmental deterioration. Organic carbon exists in silt in two forms, free and mineral-binding. Meanwhile, based on its formation and structure, OC can be divided into light and heavy fraction of OC. Environmental information including data related to paleoclimates, ancient levels of productivity level, and variations in regional organism abundance can be discovered from total organic carbon, the C/N ratio, and OC isotope content. Degradation of OC is believed to participate in the emission of greenhouse gases, release of heavy metals and other contaminants. Finally, from the view of silt deposition, the possible influence of complex water-rock interaction in which OC is involved during the evolution of silt to a clayey aquitard on the hydrochemical composition of groundwater is discussed, which provides a new perspective for future research on the carbon cycle in nature.

Environmental assessment of date(Phoenix doctylifera)production in Iran by life cycle assessment

Environmental indicators have been considered as a main element of environmental impact assessments because of their role on decision and policy making in different fields of special environmental management.The present study was conducted in order to evaluate date(Phoenix doctylifera)production in viewpoint of environmental indicators using life cycle assessment method.The required information was collected by questionnaire and interview with farmers and experts in Khuzestan Province,Iran.The SimaPro Software was used to calculate 11 different environmental indicators for producing one Tonne of the produced date.Diesel fuel,pesticides and nitrogen fertilizer had the highest shares in the studied environmental indicators.

Application of pressure-state-response approach for developing criteria and indicators of ecological health assessment of wetlands:a multi-temporal study in Ichhamati floodplains,India

Background Tropical floodplain wetlands are among the most disturbed and intensively harvested ecosystems.Their sustainable management is often hindered due to the lack of comprehensive,coherent,and standardized assessment frameworks of wetland ecological health(WEH).In this study,a set of appropriate criteria and indicators(C&I)of WEH assessment was developed and tested on seven wetlands of River Ichhamati,eastern India.Methods Based on the pressure-state-response(PSR)approach,evaluation indicators representing ecological,socio-economic,and institutional sustainability issues of floodplain wetland systems were either selected or formulated through literature survey and stakeholder consensus.Weights of indicators were assigned by the entropy weighting method and then used in the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution model to determine the Euclidean distances of each wetland from the positive ideal solution and negative ideal solution.Subsequently,a comprehensive wetland ecological health index(CWEHI)was constructed from these distances to portray the condition of any PSR system component in a wetland under a fivefold classification scheme,namely‘excellent health’(CWEHI≥0.81),‘good health’(0.61-0.80),‘moderate health’(0.41-0.60),‘weak health’(0.21-0.40),and‘morbid’(≤0.20).Results The developed C&I set contains 8 criteria and 38 indicators under pressure component,7 criteria and 49 indicators under state component,as well as 4 criteria and 18 indicators under response component.When applied in 2016 and 2022,it was found that the Panchita and Aromdanga wetlands were continuously in weak and morbid health status,while the Madhabpur wetland always showed an excellent or good status for all components.Health of other wetlands oscillated between moderate and morbid health across assessment years and system components.Conclusions The developed C&I set was found to be a flexible,holistic,and refined framework that could be applied elsewhere in similar assessments with minor indicator-level adjustments.The present assessment inferred that agriculture-dominated wetlands were more affected by amplified environmental pressure than fishing-dominated wetlands.Absence of persistent water flow from main river channel,wide-spread jute-retting,agriculture-induced eutrophication,proliferation of aquatic weeds were identified as the major causes of rapid ecological deterioration.

^(13)C analysis of cow tail hair and farm slurry can be used to implicitly distinguish between different dairy production systems

Background Public interest in the way food is produced on the farm and processed along the food-production chain is increasing.The analysis of isotopic signatures(^(13)C)in cow tail hair provides a method to reconstruct the dietary proportion of maize in cow diets.Based on this,we further investigated whether there is a relationship between isotopic signatures in cow tail hair or farm slurry and the proportion of maize of the total utilized agricultural area per farm[%].We did an on-farm survey on 17 dairy farms in coastal Northwest Germany and collected cow tail hair from dairy cows and slurry samples on each farm.The farms differed in their feeding regime(C_(3) vs.C_(4) plants),their site conditions(sandy soil=‘Geestland’;organic soil=‘Peatland’;clayey soil=‘Marshland’),and in the area cultivated with maize as a proportion of the total utilized agricultural area per farm.Results We found a positive relationship between δ^(13)C values in both cow tail hair and slurry and the annual dietary proportion of maize(R^(2)=0.67;and R^(2)=0.63).Furthermore,we confirmed that there was a relationship betweenδ^(13)C values in cow tail hair and area of maize as a proportion of the total utilized agricultural area per farm(R^(2)=0.69).Conclusion Our findings suggest a general applicability of using isotopic signatures(^(13)C)along a wide gradient of site conditions and productions systems in practice.

Preliminary sensitivity study on an life cycle assessment(LCA)tool via assessing a hybrid timber building

In order to address concerns related to global warming and increased atmospheric carbon content,the life cycle assessment(LCA)tool has demonstrated usefulness in the building and construction sector.The LCA is used to evaluate environmental impacts concerning all stages of the building process from“cradle”to“grave”.The LCA helps promote sustainable development by considering environmental indicators such as stratospheric ozone depletion,eutrophication,global warming potential,and many more.It is of an interest to know the degree of impact on a given environ-mental indicator if an input is changed in terms of the type or amount of the materials used.The LCA software Athena IE4B was employed to analyze data of a selected timber building.This study was aimed at evaluating the sensitivity of LCA analysis on a hybrid timber building,which was done via two case studies.Case 1 focused on changes in the volume of wood materials,meanwhile Case 2 focused on simultaneous changes in the volume of materials for wood,steel,and concrete.In Case 1,it was observed increasing wood materials increased environmental indicators,with stratospheric ozone depletion being the most sensitive and global warming potential as the least sensitive.Case 2 discovered that proportionally increasing wood materials in relation to steel and concrete materials decreased environmental indicators,with eutrophication being the most sensitive and stratospheric ozone depletion as the least sensitive.This study helped support the feasibility of using Athena IE4B for LCA analysis in the initial assessment of a building.

Fuzzy based decision support method for selection of sustainable wastewater treatment technologies

Inadequate decision support tools have led to selection of inappropriate wastewater treatment technologies.The objectives of this research were to investigate performance data for wastewater treatment technologies,develop a Decision Support Method(DSM)for evaluating performance of technologies,and to validate the developed method.The method was developed through evaluation of performance of wastewater treatment technologies against environmental and economic indicators.Fuzzy logic techniques in form of linguistic variables were applied in order to support decision making under uncertainty.The DSM relied on performance evaluation in order to rate effectiveness of wastewater treatment technologies.DSM was validated through a training tool in ED-WAVE,a model developed by a consortium of European and Asian countries.The reliance of the DSM on performance evaluation was an improvement on the existing decision support tools such as ED-WAVE that relied on retrieval of past performance data.As DSM integrated environmental and economic factors in evaluating wastewater treatment technologies,it was thus able to select a process that was not only environmentally sustainable but also economically affordable.

Definition of candidate Essential Variables for the monitoring of mineral resource exploitation

The practice of raw material extraction has a high impact on the environment and represents a potential threat to the health and thriving of local communities.The concept of Extractive Essential Variables(EEVs)are explored in order to propose variables that can be used to quantify the environmental footprint of mineral extraction.Considering the interdependence of mining activities with social,economic and environmental issues,the variables target the development of monitoring tools for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).The identification of EEVs is based on the use of Earth Observation products in the field of mineral resources exploitation.A list of variables is proposed based on three classes of Essential Variables(EVs):installation and exploration phase,mineral extraction,and ore processing.These variables take into account the impacts of mining on the hydrology,land,water resources and the atmosphere of the area subjected to mineral exploitation.One of the variables is implemented as an operational workflow addressing SDG15,“life on land”.The workflow is intended to assess the area of forest ecosystem lost due to the presence of a mining site.Geospatial data on the extent of mining concessions and forest cover are combined using ArcGIS^(TM).The workflow is successively translated into a Unix script to automatize the process of data treatment.The script is developed using the Geospatial Data Abstraction Library(GDAL).The use of a Virtual Laboratory Platform(VLab),a web-service-based access platform,increases the accessibility of data and resources and the re-use of the script.This work is a first attempt to propose a framework of EEVs,derived data workflows,while the underlying methodology,partially based on scientific publications and on personal reasoning,still needs to be tested and,improved based on expertise in the sector.