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环境核算与管理(英文)
环境核算与管理(英文)
环境核算与管理(英文)/Journal Journal of Environmental Accounting and Management
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    Removal of Dibutyl Phthalate and Its Effects on Bacterial Communities in Lab-scale Constructed Wetlands

    Xiaohui WangJingdan YangShuai DuYuan Yuan...
    1-10页
    查看更多>>摘要:The environmental release of phthalate acid esters (PAEs),and their potential health and environmental risks have attracted increasing concerns.The removal efficiencies of the most frequently identified PAE,dibutyl phthalate (DBP),and their effects on bacterial community structures were examined in two vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs).In this study,the influent DBP concentration was about 600μg/L and the removal rates reached above 61.1% during the study period.Catalase activity analysis showed that both treatment and control systems had significantly higher enzyme activities in the surface soil than subsurface substrate,and DBP significantly deteriorated the catalase activities (p < 0.05).Miseq sequencing data showed that DBP significantly increased the diversity of bacterial community (p < 0.05) and altered the overall bacterial community structure in wetland systems as revealed by Principal component analysis (PCA).The relative abundance of five genera,including Azohydromonas,Bdellovibrio,Desulfobulus,Roseomonas and Thiobacillus significantly decreased in the wetland at the present of DBP.However,four genera Propioniciclava,Geobacter,Paludibacter and Bacillus significantly increased under DBP.This study provides insights into our understanding the treatment performance of DBP in wetland systems,and their effects on the diversity and structure of bacterial communities under DBP in wetland systems.

    Renewable Empower Distribution of the World

    Dong Joo LeeMark T.Brown
    11-26页
    查看更多>>摘要:Large spatial scale emergy analysis can benefit from the latest spatial datasets that are the result of satellite-based models.This study utilized global spatial datasets developed by NASA and others to perform a global scale emergy analysis,producing global coverages of renewable energy sources leading to global coverages of empower for the renewable inputs to the geobiosphere.Total Aerial Empower Intensity (AEI) was computed for each 1 arc degree cell of Earth by taking the maximum value between the sum of the solar,tidal and geothermal inputs and the largest of the secondary inputs (wind,rain,runoff) for each cell.An important issue related to spatial emergy analysis was highlighted during this study.Previous methods of computing Unit Emergy Values (UEVs) (or transformities) for secondary and tertiary renewable flows (wind,precipitation,and chemical and geopotential exergy of runoff) relied on global average data.With these spatially explicit global data,new UEVs were computed that rely on spatially explicit fluxes of wind,rainfall,elevation,and modeled total dissolved solids data.Using these data and GIS it is possible to compute regional UEVs for chemical and geopotential exergy of runoff.Finally,we identify an interesting and well-known phenomenon in spatial analysis known as the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) and explore how it impacts spatial emergy evaluations.The MAUP results from spatial aggregation and scale of analysis and ultimately results in statistical bias when summary statistics are computed from spatial data.Our recommendation is first to be aware of MAUP when dealing with analysis of spatial data and second,when aggregating data over regions it is best to minimize subdivisions.Considering this outcome we suggest that evaluations that employ the max emergy algebra and GIS be done at the coarse scale of the regional boundary,rather than on a cell by cell basis.

    A Holistic Method of Assessing Efficiency and Sustainability in Agricultural Production Systems

    Francis Molua MwamboChristine Fürst
    27-43页
    查看更多>>摘要:Until now,no single universally adaptable method exits for complete assessment of efficiency and sustainability of agricultural production systems.Existing methods are limited for analyzing agricultural systems.This paper presents the Emergy-Data Envelopment Analysis method;which we built from aggregating Emergy Analysis (EMA) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) into a framework,to provide improved accounting of resource and energy use efficiency including absolute and relative sustainability of agricultural production systems.The method of assessment is as follows.An emergy diagram of the production system is drawn to visually represent the system.Inputs and outputs of the system are estimated on an annual base in their standard physical units of measurement.The available energy content (exergy) of input and output resources are calculated respectively using appropriate methods of calculating exergy for each given input and output.This is done assuming the concept of energy memory.Using Microsoft excel,the emergy of the input and output resources are calculated as the mathematical product of resource exergy and unit emergy value (UEV).The refined procedure of emergy calculation by Brown and Ulgiati (2016) is applied,and it leads to the retainment of selected inputs and outputs of various resource types.The emergies of the selected resource inputs and outputs from comparative peer systems of production (decision making units-DMUs) are concatenated into a table (.csv format),and imported into a model of DEA.The optimization function in DEA applies Pareto efficiency to estimate the relative technical efficiency (rTE) scores among peer units.The score value is a proxy indicator for relative sustainability.The calculated UEV of a product equates to eco-efficiency,and it is applied to evaluate the resource and energy use efficiency.Selected emergy-based indicators of proven reliability are applied for the evaluation of absolute sustainability.The composition of the evaluation outcomes provides improved accounting information that contributes to completeness of assessed efficiency and sustainability of agricultural systems as a whole.

    What Drives the Voluntary Environmental Reporting (VER): An Examination of CDP India Firms

    Praveen KumarMohammad Firoz
    45-57页
    查看更多>>摘要:Environmental reporting is increasingly getting important in the value creation processes of the firms,but reporting standards are almost silent in this regard.Consequently,stakeholders need to rely on voluntary environmental reporting in order to better assess the environmental implications of the finns' operations.We studied the determinants of voluntary environmental reporting (VER).Using a sample period from 2011 to 2015,we test whether and to what extent key finn and industry-specific variables such as size,the book to market value (BTMV),cross-border listing,ownership,industry,leverage,age,corporate governance and ROE can explain a firm's probability of voluntary environmental reporting.The present study covered all 137 Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) India firms,excluding banking and financial finns,amalgamated into nine different industry-sectors-Consumer Discretionary,Energy,Industrials,Information Technology,Materials,Telecommunication,Utilities,Consumer Staples and Health Care.By employing panel-data analysis this study revealed that Size,Cross Border Listing and age play a key role in explaining a finn's voluntary environmental reporting policy across all industry sectors.Moreover,we also found a significant effect of the book to market value (BTMV),ownership,industry-sector,Leverage and Corporate governance on a firm's voluntarily carbon disclosure.Further,the present study did not find any evidence to support that the sample finns' profitability e.g.ROE affect the finns' choice to voluntarily report their environmental activities.Moreover,voluntary environmental reporting by Indian finns is very low during sample period.The findings of this examination are crucial for managers,investors,regulators and standard-setters as they work toward developing standards for measuring,assuring,and reporting on a firm's climate change actions.

    Life Cycle GHG Emission Comparison of Infant Nursing Using Breast Milk Versus Formula

    Yash AmonkarNafisa ChowdhuryYiran SongJane Siyuan Wu...
    59-72页
    查看更多>>摘要:The choice between feeding an infant using breast milk or formula milk continues to be a topic of debate among nutritionists,health practitioners,and parents.This study compares the life cycle environmental impact of both infant feeding methods in terms of green-house gas (GHG) emissions.Prior environmental impact studies in this context have treated breast milk feeding as a zero GHG emission activity and thus concluded that formula milk feeding is an'environmentally harmful'feeding method.While these views have reached wide audiences,they have not yet been subjected to more detailed scientific scrutiny.However,as this study high-lights,there are a variety of GHG emissions associated with breast milk feeding,such as from additional caloric intake by the mother and the use of breast pumps,infant boules,and milk refrigeration in-between feedings (lifestyle-dependent).The results of the analysis show that breast milk feeding contributes a total of 1,858 g CO2e/day compared to the 1,136 g CO2e/day associated with formula milk feeding (base case).Further,for breast milk feeding,the mother's additional caloric intake contributes about 66%,the end of life stage 13%,use phase 10%,packaging 8%,and outbound transportation 3% to the total GHG emissions.In the case of formula milk feeding,the raw materials contribute about 40%,inbound transportation 23%,use phase 13%,outbound transportation 12%,manufacturing 7%,and packaging 5% to the total GHG emissions.A sensitivity analysis was conducted to account for parameter uncertainty and shows that breast milk feeding (1,463-2,202 g CO2e/day) one infant,for typical mothers' lifestyles,is indeed the larger contributor of GHG emissions as compared to formula milk feeding (873-1,400 g CO2e/day).Additional scenarios such as individual mothers' lifestyle choices were analyzed and discussed as well.These show that,in some scenarios,breastfeeding mothers who are able to forego pumps and infant bottles altogether may incur less GHG emissions than mothers feeding formula milk.

    Environmental Health Risk Assessment of Phthalic Acid Esters in Drinking Water Source Catchments of South China

    Tao HeHuaiyang FangWei GuanZhenyu Luan...
    73-85页
    查看更多>>摘要:In recent years,phthalic acid esters (PAEs) have been widely detected in drinking water sources in China,threatening environmental health and has therefore become an urgent demand for environmental health risk assessment.Through the analysis of water quality testing at a South China backup water source,we detected PAEs.The results show that the PAE class pollutants,phthalic acid n-butyl acetate (DBP),phthalate (2-) ethyl hexyl ester (DOP) and diethyl phthalate (DEP),are detected at all sampling points,with DOP concentrations higher than that of DBP and DEP.The quantified concentration of the three PAE pollutants in the drinking water catchment area is higher than that of other drinking water sources in other towns in the basin,and the concentration is also above the median-level in similar areas at home and abroad.DOP is the primary PAE pollutant controlled by domestic demand in the catchment area.In this paper,we made an environmental health risk assessment for the PAE class of organic pollutants in the backup water source using the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) method.The results show that the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk values associated with PAEs for the water source are less than the provisions of USEPA but that the PAE concentrations are elevated relative to domestic and similar foreign water sources.Given the potential health risks of PAEs,water environment risk management should guard against the possible sources of PAEs.

    A Dynamic Hydro-Socio-Technical Policy Analysis of Transboundary Desalination Development

    Ashley PageSaeed P.LangarudiSue Forster-CoxAlexander Fernald...
    87-115页
    查看更多>>摘要:Global realities of water shortages and population growth-coupled with water quality concerns-increase tension over water allocation and jeopardize the sustainment of societies.Desalination of brackish water exists as an approach to augment inland freshwater supplies.Possible strain on freshwater supply in the transboundary Sunland Park-Santa Teresa-San Jerónimo-Anapra (SSSA) region,along the United States-Mexico border catalyzed interest in the prospect of desalination,but its effects here remain unknown.Hydrosociology literature recognizes the need to develop integrative water research methodology.No established criteria exist for these calls in the literature,and this approach has not yet been expanded as a hydrologic-social-technical (hydro-socio-technical) framework or applied to a policy case study examining desalination or transboundary water management.This study developed a system dynamics model to analyze the necessity and hydrologic impacts of desalination within SSSA's complex hydro-socio-technical system.The study could not reject the hypothesis that desalination fails to represent necessary or hydrologically beneficial policy solutions for SSSA,as analyzed from this hydro-socio-technical systems perspective through at least the 100-year period.This research introduces the concept of perceived water availability as a means to recognize the correlation between water usage and the perception of available water.The results will inform emerging policy decision-making efforts in SSSA regarding the future of the community's water supply and serve as a case study for communities facing similar water policy considerations.