scholarly journals MICROPLÁSTICOS: OCORRÊNCIA AMBIENTAL E DESAFIOS ANALÍTICOS

Química Nova ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassiana Montagner ◽  
Mariana Dias ◽  
Eduardo Paiva ◽  
Cristiane Vidal
Keyword(s):  
Visual Inspection ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Fate And Transport ◽  
Environmental Issue ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Physicochemical Processes ◽  
Comprehensive Literature Review ◽  
Environmental Compartments

MICROPLASTICS: ENVIRONMENTAL OCCURRENCE AND ANALYTICAL CHALLENGES. Plastic pollution is a major societal, economic, and environmental issue. Upon release into the environment, plastics are altered by biological and physicochemical processes that influence their fate and transport within ecosystems. Large plastic debris can fragment into smaller pieces and are called microplastics (MPs) when occurring at sizes between 1 µm and 5 mm, fragmented or produced in this range. These small pieces of plastics are ubiquitous anthropogenic contaminants found throughout the world; however, the environmental consequences and effects on biota are not clearly understood. Scientific literature on the environmental implications of MP pollution is expanding rapidly and critical review of this literature is necessary to identify areas of evolving consensus and remaining gaps in knowledge. Herein a comprehensive literature review was performed to assess (i) the sources and distribution of MPs in different environmental compartments, (ii) the analytical methods that have been applied worldwide, and the key analytical challenges that remain in assessing MPs in the environment, and, finally, (iii) to integrate the findings of Brazilian MP research, which showed that since 2004 (80 papers up to 2020) has documented the presence of MPs in aquatic matrices and sediments with focus on marine ecosystems, mainly identified by visual inspection.

Geopolitics of Energy

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Blerina Muskaj
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Energy Market ◽  
Energy Potential ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Regional Energy ◽  
Political Debates ◽  
Political Weapon

At the beginning of my paper I will explain the concept of "Geopolitics of Energy", this will be done for a quite simple reason, because I want everyone who can sit to read this article to understand more clearly what is at stake, therefore allow them the comprehension of what is being elaborated bellow at first sight. Geopolitics of energy is a concept that relates to policies choosing exporters to implement on importers, is the policy that has an impact on energy consumption, which includes consumer’s choice in the geopolitical context, taking into account the economy, foreign policy, the safety of energy, environmental consequences and priorities that carries the energy exporter. This concept permits the understanding of how works the politics that undertakes this initiative taking into account natural resources such as: natural gas and oil. Natural gas and oil are two main resources that produce energy but also two main elements on which arises all the topic in the energetics game. For this paper is used qualitative methodology, through which we were able to accomplish this work. I focused on scientific literature, official publications and reports on energy geopolitics. The main aim has been to show how in this decade, energy security is at the center of geopolitical agenda and has become the focus of numerous political debates. Regarding this point of view, Europe is taking the initiative to create a common energy market within the continent by creating projects, in which Albania appears as a new regional energy potential. Russia, which is aiming to play a role in the international arena, is seeking to position itself geopolitically in "its political weapon", hydrocarbon resources, in particular natural gas resources.

scholarly journals Waste generation as a side impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: Communication on correct disposal of single-use face masks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Débora Tomaszewski
Keyword(s):  
Face Mask ◽  
Side Impact ◽  
Waste Generation ◽  
Visual Aids ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Global Spread ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Regional Authorities ◽  
Primary Measure

The rapid global spread of SARS-CoV-2 and the resulting Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to urgent efforts to contain and mitigate transmission. The useof face masks became a primary measure to limit the spread, which increased the production and consequentwaste generation. It is estimated that globally 129 billion single-use face masks are discharged into the environment every month. Besides to add to already great concerns over plastic pollution, contaminated face masks not properly handled also poses a health risk. The health and environmental consequences caused by the inadequate disposal of single-use face masks are treated in this study as an eminent risk to be properly communicated. This study framed the waste generation as a side impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and analysed how the communication has been made regarding the correct disposal of single-use masks, with focus in users of public transport in Stockholm region. National and regional authorities are recognized as the main responsibles for the communication about correct disposal, together with manufacturers and suppliers of single-use face masks. Disclosure and informative material of four government authorities and instruction manuals of eight brands of single-use face masks are analysed according to: i) presence / absence of information (about the disposal); ii) type of communication (visual or written); iii) message transmitted and; ix) availability in other languages.It was found guidance about correct disposal of face mask in two thirds of the existing communication, that is mainly written and with few visual aids. Half of communication is made only in Swedish and with no sufficient focus on the importance of correct disposal neither with reference to trash bins with lid. It suggests that the current communication about how to disposesingle-use masks safelymay not be enough, which is affecting the perception of risk by the population and worsening the health and environmental consequencescaused by the inadequate disposal.

Embracing the Autonomy of Catholic Women – Discussing the Healthcare and Environmental Consequences of the Church’s Ban on Contraception

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. 81-81
Author(s):  
Jan Greguš ◽  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Contraceptive Method ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Global Epidemic ◽  
Modern Contraception ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Unintended Pregnancies

"The modern Catholic Church represents a body of 1.3 billion people who follow the Church’s teachings, given to them in the form of documents on different topics, including family issues. The latest, 2016 Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, confirmed the previous documents on the topic, stating that periodical abstinence is the only contraceptive method possible for Catholic Christians. This means that 1.3 billion people are forbidden to use modern contraception. This significantly contributes to the spread of sexually transmitted infections (including AIDS/HIV pandemics) and the global epidemic of unintended pregnancies and their consequences (induced abortions, maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, etc.). These consequences are the most severe in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, where the Catholic Church prevails. Unintended pregnancies also greatly contribute to the rapid population growth currently being witnessed by humanity. As such, unintended pregnancies lead to severe environmental consequences (environmental degradation, resource depletion, species extinction, climate change, etc.). Unintended pregnancies are highly preventable if women are well-informed about family planning methods and if they are free to choose a contraceptive method based on their personal opinion, expectations, contraindications, and more. This merely underlies the important fact that voluntary family planning is fundamental to human dignity and critical for women’s health as well as the health of the planet. For the aforementioned reasons, it is necessary to openly discuss the healthcare and environmental implications of the Church’s ban on modern contraception, and bring the Church’s representatives to acknowledgement of women’s autonomy to freely choose their preferable contraceptive method. "

scholarly journals Occurrence of microplastics in pellets from the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) along the Ticino River, North Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (33) ◽  
pp. 41731-41739
Author(s):  
Anna Winkler ◽  
Alessandro Nessi ◽  
Diego Antonioli ◽  
Michele Laus ◽  
Nadia Santo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Visual Inspection ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Marine Bird ◽  
First Report ◽  
The Common

Abstract Previous research has reported avian plastic ingestion in marine bird species. Yet, while research attention on plastic pollution is shifting from marine to freshwater ecosystems, very few information on plastic ingestion is available for freshwater birds. Here, we examined the presence of microplastic in regurgitated pellets of the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) collected along the Ticino River (North Italy). In total, 133 kingfisher’s pellets were examined between March and October 2019 from 54 transects along the river. Plastic elements were detected and identified by visual inspection followed by μ-FTIR and SEM-EDS. Overall, we found 12 (micro)plastics from at least three different polymers in 7.5% of the pellets. This study provides the first report of plastic uptake of this bird species. It highlights the importance of spectroscopic techniques in plastic monitoring studies in order to avoid misidentification of items found. Documenting the presence of plastic ingestion by top carnivores such as fish-eating birds is necessary to understand the pervasiveness and impact of (micro)plastic pollution in food webs of freshwater ecosystems.

scholarly journals Plastic pollution in Bangladesh: A review on current status emphasizing the impacts on environment and public health

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 200535-0
Author(s):  
Shafiul Hossain ◽  
Md Anisur Rahman ◽  
Myisha Ahmed Chowdhury ◽  
Sajib Kumar Mohonta
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
High Strength ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Environment And Public Health ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Modern Life ◽  
Alternative Materials ◽  
The Government ◽  
Environmental Compartments

Invention of the plastics has largely been considered as a boon for the modern life due to their light weight, high strength, and versatile application while being cheaper than other alternative materials. However, with the low biodegradability, over consumption, and widespread mismanagement, plastics have now become ubiquitous in all the environmental compartments and are held responsible for causing enormous pollution to air, soil, and water bodies. Bangladesh is no different from this global scenario, though there has been a little effort to assess the amount of plastic waste and its consequence which is necessary to encounter this mounting threat effectively. Taking this into consideration, current study investigates the impacts of plastic pollution including its most threatening formmicroplastics on environment and human health in Bangladesh. The study is based on critical review of existing literatures from the global perspective. It has been found that a major percentage of the used plastic is mismanaged in Bangladesh, posing a great threat to the environment and human health. This article also put forward some recommendations to tackle this pervasive problem alongside the measures already taken by the government. Overall, this work is aimed at creating an urge among the researchers to study the plastic pollution in Bangladesh comprehensively and raising a concern among the appropriate authorities to develop policies and impose necessary actions against plastic pollution before it is too late.

scholarly journals Implications of COVID-19 pandemic on environmental compartments: is plastic pollution a major issue?

2021 ◽  
pp. 100041
Author(s):  
Ana L. Patrício Silva ◽  
Aleksandra Tubić ◽  
Maja Vujić ◽  
Amadeu M.V.M. Soares ◽  
Armando C. Duarte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Environmental Compartments

scholarly journals Environmental Implications of Resource Security Strategies for Critical Minerals: A Case Study of Copper in Japan

Minerals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Motoori ◽  
Benjamin McLellan ◽  
Tetsuo Tezuka
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Home Appliance ◽  
Critical Minerals ◽  
Ocean Mining ◽  
Alternative Resource ◽  
Resource Security

In the assessment of critical minerals, environmental impacts have been a focus of a number of methodologies. In the case of resource security for critical minerals, there are a variety of potential strategies that might be used to reduce criticality from the supply risk perspective, but the environmental consequences of these strategies need to be evaluated. Japan is a country with a heavy dependence on imported materials, and thus has examined various alternative resource supply strategies to improve resource security. This study examines these alternative strategies and evaluates the consequential environmental implications, focusing on the domestic impacts in Japan. Utilization of deep ocean mining and end-of-life home appliance recycling are examined as alternatives against the conventional, import-oriented process. From the obtained results, deep ocean mining, providing 30% of domestic copper demand with the remainder supplied from recycling, is the current optimal solution with regards to the environmental impact.

Road development and market access on Nicaragua's Atlantic coast: implications for household fishing and farming practices

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
KRISTEN M. SCHMITT ◽  
DANIEL B. KRAMER
Keyword(s):  
Resource Use ◽  
Market Access ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
The Road ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Road Development ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Household Resource

SUMMARYThe simplistic portrayal of road development as a classic environment versus development debate may be because the indirect pathways connecting road building with environmental change are poorly understood. Recent road development in previously remote regions of Nicaragua provides an opportunity to investigate these pathways. This paper examines the effects of increased market access on household resource use on the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. Specifically, it looks at shifting market flow and price changes for natural resources and corresponding fishing and farming decisions in communities with varying degrees of market access before and after road completion. Fisheries markets were more responsive to market access increases than agricultural markets. With increased access, fishers increasingly sold to non-local buyers, overall export of fisheries' products increased and markets for new products emerged. Prices of fisheries goods were higher with proximity to markets and availability of non-local export outlets, and prices for some were more stable after the road was completed. There were no observed changes in household fishing and farming investments during the year-long study, and therefore the environmental implications of increased market access remain uncertain. Longer-term studies and additional biological monitoring are needed to determine the full environmental consequences of market access.

scholarly journals Are litter, plastic and microplastic quantities increasing in the ocean?

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois Galgani ◽  
Aleke Stoefen-o Brien ◽  
Judith Weis ◽  
Christos Ioakeimidis ◽  
Qamar Schuyler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Temporal Trend ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Fate And Transport ◽  
Marine Litter ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Modelling Studies

AbstractWhilst both plastic production and inputs at sea have increased since the 1950s, several modelling studies predict a further increase in the coming years in these respective quantities. We compiled scientific literature on trends in marine litter, consisting largely of plastic and microplastics in the ocean, understanding that monitoring programs or assessments for these aspects are varied, frequently focusing on limited components of the marine environment in different locations, and covering a wide spectrum of marine litter types, with limited standardization. Here we discuss how trends in the amounts of litter in the marine environment can be compared with the information provided by models. Increasing amounts of plastic are found in some regions, especially in remote areas, but many repeated surveys and monitoring efforts have failed to demonstrate any consistent real temporal trend. An observed steady state situation of plastic quantities in many marine compartments and the fate and transport of plastic in the marine environment remain areas for much needed further research.

scholarly journals Pendidikan Lingkungan bertema “Microplastic and Marine Pollution Awareness” di Sekolah Adiwiyata Nasional: SMAN 1 Cikarang Pusat, Cikarang, Jawa Barat

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Filson Maratur Sidjabat
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Education ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Community Empowerment ◽  
Environmental Issue ◽  
Award Winner ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Green Schools ◽  
Environmental Agents ◽  
Agent Of Change

<p>Permasalahan lingkungan besar yang dihadapi dunia, khususnya di Indonesia adalah isu pencemaran plastik, mikroplastik, dan pencemaran laut. Permasalahan mikroplastik dan pencemaran lautan ini menjadi pekerjaan rumah yang besar bagi berbagai pihak termasuk dunia pendidikan sebagai agen perubahan. Peserta PKM ini adalah para Duta Lingkungan yang terlibat dalam kegiatan ekstrakurikuler di SMA Negeri 1 Cikarang Pusat, peraih Sekolah Adiwiyata Tingkat Nasional. Metode yang digunakan adalah pendidikan lingkungan memberikan wawasan terkait (a) mikroplastik dan pencemaran lautan, (b) bagaimana solusi pengolahan dan pengelolaan yang bisa dilakukan dalam skala rumah tangga, dan (c) bagaimana agar peserta mau merubah perilaku dan peduli terhadap permasalahan lingkungan ini. Kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini terdiri dari 2 kegiatan yaitu:  Pendidikan Lingkungan (presentasi dan diskusi) dan Lomba Poster Kreatif. Pendidikan lingkungan ini dibutuhkan sejak usia remaja supaya kesadaran akan masalah ini dapat tertanam sejak usia muda. Kegiatan ekstrakurikuler dalam rangka Adiwiyata, seperti Duta Lingkungan, merupakan kegiatan yang dapat menjadi pusat pembelajaran mengenai lingkungan hidup yang baik di sekolah, juga menimbulkan banyak perubahan positif bagi perilaku bermasyarakat.       <em></em></p><p class="Default"><strong><em>Abstract</em></strong></p><p><em>Nowadays, the world, especially Indonesia are facing the three biggest environmental problems, which are plastic pollution issue, microplastic, and marine pollution. Microplastic and marine pollution problems are becoming a major homework for many stakeholders, including education sector, as an agent of change. The participants of this community empowerment project are Environmental Agents, who actively engage in extracurricular activities in SMA Negeri 1 Cikarang Pusat, an Adiwiyata Green Schools national award winner. The method that been used is environmental education, that giving knowledge about (a) microplastic and marine pollution, (b) how to treat and manage the solution in household scale, and (c) how the participants became active in changing their behaviors, and increasing careness in this problems. The activities are divided into 2 type: Environmental Education (Presentation and Sharing) and Creative Poster Competition. </em>This event are needed for young leaders to increase their awareness and plant wisdom in since they are young. The extracurriculer activities in Adiwiyata Green Schools, like Environmental Agent are becoming a great education center for environmental issue in schools, and also can contribute to positive changing of society behaviors.<strong><em></em></strong></p>

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