Search results for "Environmental impact assessment"
showing 10 items of 179 documents
Passive components for reducing environmental impacts of buildings:analysis of an experimental green roof
2020
The reduction of the environmental impacts related to the building sector is a matter of outmost importance concerning the sustainable utilization of resources related to human activities. Such sector is in fact responsible for about 40% of both release of pollutants in the atmosphere and energy consumption. When trying to reduce buildings’ environmental impacts, as well as to limit their energy consumption, building envelope passive systems can be used. Amongst these, green roofs have been gaining global attention due to their benefits in terms of resilience and sustainability, in order to mitigate the unfavourable urbanization effects. Research on the green roof has been indeed increasing…
Seawater Desalination for Freshwater Production
2009
In the last decades more and more countries have experienced water scarcity problems, thus pointing at alternative non-conventional sources of fresh water. Seawater desalination has proven to be a reliable and economically sustainable water resource since the second half of the 20th Century. A number of well proven technologies already exist, with advantages and disadvantages making each of them more suitable in specific sites. Moreover, quite recently, coupling the use of renewable energy to the production of fresh water from seawater results in novel technologies, able to minimise the environmental impact that desalination processes can create due to their intense energy consumptions.
A review of hydropower plants in Romania: Distribution, current knowledge, and their effects on fish in headwater streams
2021
Abstract Hydropower is currently experiencing a boom in southeast Europe. For Romania, the number of hydropower plants is estimated to be between 545 and 674, but little has been published about their environmental impact. We provide the first overview of the geographical distribution of hydropower plants in Romania, supplemented by a review of current knowledge about their environmental impact, and present case study evidence on the effects of small hydropower plants on fish in headwater streams of the Carpathian Mountains. We show that 49% of the documented 545 hydropower plants in Romania are located in Natura 2000 or other protected areas, 5% are located in water bodies with ‘very good’…
Design Procedures for Soil-Lime Stabilization for Road and Railway Embankments. Part 1-Review of Design Methods
2012
AbstractWhen selecting the appropriate materials for constructing road infrastructures, an important way for minimizing both the economical and environmental impact is to make use of lime for treating soils that are not suitable for road or railways construction.Advances in lime stabilization technique allowed the successful use of this technique also for improving the bearing capacity of the subgrade, with noticeable savings on both aggregate and disposal charges.In this paper a review of internationally adopted design methods for soil-lime mixture is presented, in order to compare testing methods and requirements of the adopted criteria, as discussed in Part 2.
Innovation strategies geared toward the circular economy: A case study of the organic olive-oil industry
2018
Circular Economy (CE) focuses on the (re)design of processes and products aiming to minimize negative environmental impact, by reducing the use of non-renewable resources, increasing products durability, improving waste management and enhancing the market for secondary raw materials. In the management field very few contributions deal with the topic of CE as a model that firms can implement from a business model perspective. The aim of the present study is to describe, by using a case study in olive oil industry, how firms in practice adapt their business model towards CE paradigm and the influence of personal drivers and stakeholders in this adaptation. The findings reveal that circular ec…
The Use of Landscape Indicators in Environmental Assessment
2016
A fundamental characteristic of the Strategic Environmental Assessment procedure is the use of indicator-like tools for measuring effects generated by plans and programmes that affect the environment and landscape. There are many kinds of indicator categories, but this chapter focuses attention on those related specifically to the landscape. Measuring many aspects of reality, by indicators, is easy today—but for landscape and its cultural aspects, the same fails to apply because, differently from water, air, soil and all the biotic and abiotic elements, technicians must consider variables in which the degree of subjectivity is very high. In spite of this reflection, Strategic Environmental …
Guidelines to compare additive and subtractive manufacturing approaches under the energy demand perspective
2020
In order to characterise the environmental performance of additive manufacturing (AM) processes, comparative analyses are required. Different manufacturing approaches (such as additive and subtractive ones), besides adopting different equipment, use different kinds and amounts of material. Therefore, the material-related flow has to be followed throughout the entire product life. Differences in environmental impact arise at each step of the life cycle: material production, manufacturing, use, disposal, and transportation. A life cycle-based methodology able to take due account of all the factors of influence on the total energy demand for the production of metal components is given in this …
Environmental effects of tourism and its seasonality on Mediterranean islands: the contribution of the Interreg MED BLUEISLANDS project to build up a…
2020
AbstractThe Mediterranean basin is amongst the world’s main tourist destination, and its islands are a major attraction, being sites of historical, cultural and naturalistic importance. This is beneficial for the local economies, but it may also represent a great burden on the coastal environment, where other human pressures are concentrated. The awareness of detrimental side effects of tourism together with the importance to take into account social and economic facets has led to the concept of sustainable tourism, which, however, represents a goal far from being attained. A good opportunity to promote sustainable tourism was provided by the Interreg MED BLUEISLANDS project, whose main aim…
Conceptualising State-Controlled Resort Islands for an Environment-Friendly Development of Tourism: The Maldivian Experience
2001
The Maldives host a sophisticated and competitive international tourist industry which has replaced fishing as the dominant economic activity. With their rich tropical reef ecosystems and the abundant biodiversity of their marine environment, a total of 86 uninhabited islands had been converted into Resort Islands by the end of 2000. Resort Islands are equipped with comprehensive facilities for accommodation, food, recreation and leisure. They are also strictly reserved for foreign tourists and guarantee complete privacy. This gives the benefit of averting conflicts of acculturation with local islanders. In the arena of impacts on the physical environment, however, the consumptive leisure l…
PROPOSALS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE MANAGEMENT BOOST AT A NATIONAL LEVEL IN THE EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES
2017
Environmental noise is currently becoming one of the most dominant types of environmental pollution. The effects of environmental noise closely correlate with quality of life especially regarding the physical and psychological health of inhabitants, social and economic costs, and thus also impacting the sustainable development of a country. Environmental noise management, therefore, is one of the most necessary and exigent aspects of environmental pollution management governance. The management of noise need to be developed in a comprehensive, integrative and cross-sectorial way, and appropriate methods and approaches for the management of overall noise impacts need to be found to deal with…