Environmental and Economic Transformation of an Old Industrial Area

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Gao ◽  
David Wadley

Since the national reform and opening policy of 1978, textile manufacturing has played a vital role in China’s advance. Confronted with the global importance of sustainable development, the industry faces a range of environmental and economic challenges. This inquiry addresses the issues created in an old industrial area and outlines ways in which textile production can be updated. Xiangyang City is taken as the case study, with the focus on three aspects: the use of renewable energy, energy recycling, and industrial tourism initiatives. This study summarizes the current situation and main environmental challenges in China’s textile production and can assist researchers by suggesting development directions and strategies for industrial upgrading and land uses.

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-46
Author(s):  
Maheshwar Prasad Yadav

 Background: Economic sustainability is an important ingredient of sustainable development. Sustainable development is the positive changes in a pattern of resources use in such a way that present needs can be met without destroying the ability for the future generations to meet their needs. Furthermore, renewable energy as an essential ingredient of environment comes from resources which are continually replenished. Renewable energy technologies such as biogas, solar and micro-hydro are widely promoted in Nepal and biogas only considered for this study.Objective: To examine role of biogas for economic sustainability in Nepal based on a case study of Niglihawa VDC of Kapilvastu district.Methodology: This study consists of descriptive cum analytical research design and based on both primary and secondary data. The users’ perspectives of sixteen out of twenty two biogas users have been collected by using structured questionnaire. Moreover, the simple statistical techniques of analysis such as table, percentage, and graphs have been employed in this study.Results: Biogas is an important factor in relation to enterprises and employment through saving time and creating agro-based micro enterprises. Biogas also contributes for economic activities through utilizing bio-slurry as feed and fertilizer.Conclusion: Biogas plays the vital role for the economic sustainability through creating enterprises and employment as well as utilizing bio-slurry as fish meal and fertilizer in the context of Nepal in one way or another. The results may be varied in other area and/or sector of Nepal and beyond.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (suppl. 1) ◽  
pp. 77-91
Author(s):  
Gligor Kanevce ◽  
Aleksandar Dedinec ◽  
Aleksandra Dedinec

One of the main goals for sustainable development of a country is providing sustainable energy resources, which means satisfying the current needs for energy without compromising the future generations. Moreover, sustainable energy resources primarily involve greater inclusion of renewable energy sources. The biomass is the most widely used renewable energy source, mainly because of its relatively low price and its availability. However, in order for the biomass to stay a renewable energy source, it must be used rationally and with a plan, which primarily requires a detailed analysis of the current situation and resources. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to calculate the optimal utilization of biomass in energy purposes, taking into account the sustainable development of a country. As an example, in this paper Macedonia is considered. A detailed analysis of the data sources related to biomass is made and several different indicators that describe the current situation in Macedonia are presented. Furthermore, several scenarios are defined in this paper in order to calculate the optimal share of biomass in the overall energy mix in Macedonia for the next 20 years, using the MARKAL model.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Teff-Seker ◽  
Michelle Eva Portman ◽  
Keren Kaplan-Mintz

Urban planning can serve a vital role in meeting the goals of education for sustainable development (ESD); it could potentially provide future planners with the environmental considerations necessary to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This article presents findings from a quantitative study of planning students’ experiences with Project- and Problem-Based Learning (PPBL). Graduate planning students in an environmental planning class were divided into two groups according to their course assignment, PPBL or non-PPBL, and given pre- and post-questionnaires, with questions to grade statements on environmental attitudes and behaviors. PPBL students reported a statistically significant change in environmental behavior involving others, while neither behavior nor attitudes changed significantly for students in the control group. Then, semi-open interviews were conducted with 11 of the students 3 years later. The interviews indicate that PPBL students remembered more content related to their assignments and felt they received more types of planning experiences and tools than those in the control group.


Author(s):  
Oana Romina Botoran ◽  
◽  
Mihaela Iordache ◽  
Claudia Sandru ◽  
Marius Miricioiu ◽  
...  

Mining activities, in combination with accelerated urbanization growth and climate change, constitutes a major challenge for creating a sustainable development. Thus, the monitoring and assessment of mining effect is mandatory in understanding the impact on the primary physico-chemical characteristics of an environment. In this context, the paper presents the evolution of micro- and macro- nutrients in water, soil and sediment from two industrial areas from Romania (Copșa Mică industrial platform and Baia Sprie mining zone), in order to assess the impact of pollutants on ecosystems. Physico-chemical (pH, NH4+, NO3-, NO2-, TN, TP), base cations (Ca, Mg, Na and K) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn and Zn) have been analyzed in order to evaluate the quality of the environment. For some of the analyzed soils, the concentration of Zn, Mn and Fe exceeded the maximum permissible limits (MPL) imposed by the Romanian legislation, falling within the limit for Alert Thresholds for less sensitive soils. The correlation analysis on water quality parameters revealed that all parameters are more or less correlated with each other Person’s Correlation matrix. Overall, our results demonstrated that the knowledge of the physico-chemical regime of an environment is of great value in the determination of its productivity, usefulness and other characteristics which can facilitate further vegetation restoration and reconstruction and a sustainable development of the ecological environment in a polluted area.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Li ◽  
Yalin Lei ◽  
Dongyang Pan ◽  
Chunyan Si

Jiaozuo is a typical resource-based city, and its economic transformation has been an example of success in China. However, quantitative evaluation of the city’s development has scarcely been performed, and future development is not clear. Because of this, using the relevant data from 1999 to 2013, this paper uses the data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to evaluate development after the transformation of Jiaozuo with the aim of providing a basis for its future developing plan. The results show that DEA was effective in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2010, and 2012, was weakly effective in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2013, and was ineffective in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011. By evaluating the development of Jiaozuo, this paper provides policy implications for Jiaozuo’s sustainable development, and it may serve as a reference for the sustainable development of China’s other resources-based cities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina El Mekaoui ◽  
Rasikh Tariq ◽  
Othón Baños Ramírez ◽  
P.E. Méndez-Monroy

Sustainable development is an integrated blend of energetic, economic, social, environmental, and governmental actors, making it one of the most challenging and subjective aims of the United Nations. A sustainability project that does not consider any of these parameters can generate resistance among different actors of society. In this work, we have demonstrated that the traditional definition of sustainability encompassing economic development, environmental protection, and social justice does not adequately cover large-scale renewable energy projects. We have presented an illuminating case study of solar development in the Yucatan state of Mexico to show that the traditional three-legged stool of sustainable development fails to accommodate local power relations and their role in energy decision-making. This point is made through a substantive and illuminating ethnography of a solar project in the community of San José Tipceh, which involves the importance of energy democracy and understanding power relations in any assessment of sustainable development. These power relations are an important component of sustainable development, and all megaprojects, especially renewable energy projects, require special attention in the governance processes. Through an analysis of an example of implementation of a mega solar project, we argue that the methodology through which the power is exercised is an exercise of great importance because it leads us to a scientific discussion that structures an international reflection on sustainability. The case study consists of mixed methods, including several techniques to deepen the analysis of sociocultural aspects, and tries to present the limits and show the weakness of the sustainability perspective in such megaprojects. It is concluded that environmental justice as a basic element of the new era of renewable energies is limited and can generate social injustices. In the same way, this work shows how power is exercised in the implementation of energy projects and in the absence of equitable comprehensive governance that does not consider the local sociocultural contexts of the communities, resulting in the generation of new powers and permanent conflicts. At the end of this work, a framework to empower local sociocultural contexts for an equitable energy transition is recommended.


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