scholarly journals Reactive Nitrogen in Crop, Fishery and Livestock Sectors of Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-163
Author(s):  
Md Mizanur Rahman ◽  
Jatish Chandra Biswas
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
N Fertilizer ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Reactive N

Agriculture in Bangladesh is characterized by crop, fishery and livestock sectors. Urea-N is used in all three sectors. Crop sector plays a dominant role in urea consumption to supply of food for ever burgeoning population. Application of inorganic N fertilizer definitely increased agricultural productivity. This however playing a significant role in altering global nutrient budget, water quality, greenhouse gas emission, and ultimately affecting the global climate. Though cropping intensity and use of N fertilizer have increased, yield plateauing is a concern for food security. Recovery efficiency of N rarely exceeds 30% in both crop and fish culture, while remaining reactive N is a global concern. Different industries have emerged in the last decade producing huge amounts of effluents discharging to the environment without treatment which appeared as a potential threat in damaging and disintegrating the environment. Resultant negative effect from application of large amount of organic and inorganic fertilizers and feeds in fishponds is a matter of boundless anxiety as it might act as a source of reactive N. Livestock sector comprising poultry and dairy produce huge amount of manure annually which is equivalent to 0.30 million tons of N and because of poor manure management reactive N is spreading in the environment. Reluctant attitudes on these crucial issues might bring a disaster through stopping natural ecosystem functions of the environment from where ‘U’ turn will rather be impossible. Adoption of resource conservation strategies, judicial and optimum use of N fertilizers in all agricultural sectors, improved management of livestock manure and industrial effluents are strongly recommended for environmental sustainability. The Agriculturists 2020; 18(1) 144-163

scholarly journals Big data for climate action or climate action for big data?

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 205395172098203
Author(s):  
Maria I Espinoza ◽  
Melissa Aronczyk
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Intergovernmental Organizations ◽  
Address Climate Change ◽  
Data Practices ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
User Data ◽  
Climate Crisis ◽  
Depth Interviews

Under the banner of “data for good,” companies in the technology, finance, and retail sectors supply their proprietary datasets to development agencies, NGOs, and intergovernmental organizations to help solve an array of social problems. We focus on the activities and implications of the Data for Climate Action campaign, a set of public–private collaborations that wield user data to design innovative responses to the global climate crisis. Drawing on in-depth interviews, first-hand observations at “data for good” events, intergovernmental and international organizational reports, and media publicity, we evaluate the logic driving Data for Climate Action initiatives, examining the implications of applying commercial datasets and expertise to environmental problems. Despite the increasing adoption of Data for Climate Action paradigms in government and public sector efforts to address climate change, we argue Data for Climate Action is better seen as a strategy to legitimate extractive, profit-oriented data practices by companies than a means to achieve global goals for environmental sustainability.

scholarly journals Dynamics of potential precipitation under climate change scenarios at Cameron highlands, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuraddeen Mukhtar Nasidi ◽  
Aimrun. Wayayok ◽  
Ahmad Fikri Abdullah ◽  
Muhamad Saufi Mohd Kassim
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Absolute Error ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Precipitation Concentration Index ◽  
Cameron Highlands

AbstractPrecipitation is sensitive to increasing greenhouse gas emission which has a significant impact on environmental sustainability. Rapid change of climate variables is often result into large variation in rainfall characteristics which trigger other forms of hazards such as floods, erosion, and landslides. This study employed multi-model ensembled general circulation models (GCMs) approach to project precipitation into 2050s and 2080s periods under four RCPs emission scenarios. Spatial analysis was performed in ArcGIS10.5 environment using Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation and Arc-Hydro extension. The model validation indicated by coefficient of determination, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, percent bias, root mean square error, standard error, and mean absolute error are 0.73, 0.27, 20.95, 1.25, 0.37 and 0.15, respectively. The results revealed that the Cameron Highlands will experience higher mean daily precipitations between 5.4 mm in 2050s and 9.6 mm in 2080s under RCP8.5 scenario, respectively. Analysis of precipitation concentration index (PCI) revealed that 75% of the watershed has PCI greater than 20 units which indicates substantial variability of the precipitation. Similarly, there is varied spatial distribution patterns of projected precipitation over the study watershed with the largest annual values ranged between 2900 and 3000 mm, covering 71% of the total area in 2080s under RCP8.5 scenario. Owing to this variability in rainfall magnitudes, appropriate measures for environmental protection are essential and to be strategized to address more vulnerable areas.

scholarly journals Green business models in the construction sector: an analysis of outcomes and benefits

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal Abuzeinab ◽  
Mohammed Arif ◽  
Mohd. Asim Qadri ◽  
Dennis Kulonda
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Green Business ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Green business models (GBMs) in the construction sector represent the logic of green value creation and capture. Hence, the call to examine GBMs is growing ever louder. The aim of this paper is to identify benefits of GBMs by adopting five essential elements of the GBM from the literature: green value proposition; target group; key activities; key resources (KR); and financial logic. Design/methodology/approach In all, 19 semi-structured interviews are conducted with construction sector practitioners and academics in the UK. Thematic analysis is used to obtain benefits of GBMs. Further, the interpretive ranking process (IRP) is used to examine which elements of the GBM have a dominant role in providing benefits to construction businesses. Findings The benefits are grouped into three themes: credibility/reputation benefits; financial benefits; and long-term viability benefits. The IRP model shows that the element of KR is the most important when evaluated against these three benefit themes. Practical implications Linking GBM elements and benefits will help companies in the construction sector to analyse the business case of embracing environmental sustainability. Originality/value This research is one of the few empirical academic works investigating the benefits of GBMs in the construction sector. The IRP method is a novel contribution to GBMs and construction research.

scholarly journals A trait-based approach to assess climate change sensitivity of freshwater invertebrates across Swedish ecoregions

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Sandin ◽  
Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber ◽  
Jens-Christian Svenning ◽  
Erik Jeppesen ◽  
Nikolai Friberg
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Measured Temperature ◽  
Buffer Strips

Abstract Freshwater habitats and organisms are among the most threatened on Earth, and freshwater ecosystems have been subject to large biodiversity losses. We developed a Climate Change Sensitivity (CCS) indicator based on trait information for a selection of stream- and lake-dwelling Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera taxa. We calculated the CCS scores based on ten species traits identified as sensitive to global climate change. We then assessed climate change sensitivity between the six main ecoregions of Sweden as well as the three Swedish regions based on Illies. This was done using biological data from 1, 382 stream and lake sites where we compared large-scale (ecoregional) patterns in climate change sensitivity with potential future exposure of these ecosystems to increased temperatures using ensemble-modelled future changes in air temperature. Current (1961~1990) measured temperature and ensemble-modelled future (2100) temperature showed an increase from the northernmost towards the southern ecoregions, whereas the predicted temperature change increased from south to north. The CCS indicator scores were highest in the two northernmost boreal ecoregions where we also can expect the largest global climate change-induced increase in temperature, indicating an unfortunate congruence of exposure and sensitivity to climate change. These results are of vital importance when planning and implementing management and conservation strategies in freshwater ecosystems, e.g., to mitigate increased temperatures using riparian buffer strips. We conclude that traits information on taxa specialization, e.g., in terms of feeding specialism or taxa having a preference for high altitudes as well as sensitivity to changes in temperature are important when assessing the risk from future global climate change to freshwater ecosystems.

Decomposing the time-mean Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and its variability with latitude.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Jonathan ◽  
Mike Bell ◽  
Helen Johnson ◽  
David Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Global Climate ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Relative Role ◽  
Overturning Circulation ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Boundary Density ◽  
Meridional Overturning

<p>The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulations (AMOC) is crucial to our global climate, transporting heat and nutrients around the globe. Detecting  potential climate change signals first requires a careful characterisation of inherent natural AMOC variability. Using a hierarchy of global coupled model  control runs (HadGEM-GC3.1, HighResMIP) we decompose the overturning circulation as the sum of (near surface) Ekman, (depth-dependent) bottom velocity, eastern and western boundary density components, as a function of latitude. This decomposition proves a useful low-dimensional characterisation of the full 3-D overturning circulation. In particular, the decomposition provides a means to investigate and quantify the constraints which boundary information imposes on the overturning, and the relative role of eastern versus western contributions on different timescales. </p><p>The basin-wide time-mean contribution of each boundary component to the expected streamfunction is investigated as a function of depth, latitude and spatial resolution. Regression modelling supplemented by Correlation Adjusted coRrelation (CAR) score diagnostics provide a natural ranking of the contributions of the various components in explaining the variability of the total streamfunction. Results reveal the dominant role of the bottom component, western boundary and Ekman components at short time-scales, and of boundary density components at decadal and longer timescales.</p>

scholarly journals A partial life cycle assessment approach to evaluate the energy intensity and related greenhouse gas emission in dairy farms

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2s) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lelia Murgia ◽  
Giuseppe Todde ◽  
Maria Caria ◽  
Antonio Pazzona
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Feeding Management

Dairy farming is constantly evolving towards more intensive levels of mechanization and automation which demand more energy consumption and result in higher economic and environmental costs. The usage of fossil energy in agricultural processes contributes to climate change both with on-farm emissions from the combustion of fuels, and by off-farm emissions due to the use of grid power. As a consequence, a more efficient use of fossil resources together with an increased use of renewable energies can play a key role for the development of more sustainable production systems. The aims of this study were to evaluate the energy requirements (fuels and electricity) in dairy farms, define the distribution of the energy demands among the different farm operations, identify the critical point of the process and estimate the amount of CO2 associated with the energy consumption. The inventory of the energy uses has been outlined by a partial Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, setting the system boundaries at the farm level, from cradle to farm gate. All the flows of materials and energy associated to milk production process, including crops cultivation for fodder production, were investigated in 20 dairy commercial farms over a period of one year. Self-produced energy from renewable sources was also accounted as it influence the overall balance of emissions. Data analysis was focused on the calculation of energy and environmental sustainability indicators (EUI, CO2-eq) referred to the functional units. The production of 1 kg of Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) required on average 0.044 kWhel and 0.251 kWhth, corresponding to a total emission of 0.085 kg CO2-eq). The farm activities that contribute most to the electricity requirements were milk cooling, milking and slurry management, while feeding management and crop cultivation were the greatest diesel fuel consuming operation and the largest in terms of environmental impact of milk production (73% of energy CO2-eq emissions). The results of the study can assist in the development of dairy farming models based on a more efficient and profitable use of the energy resources.

scholarly journals Heterogeneous Electrocatalysts for CO2 Reduction to Value Added Products

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Amin Farkhondehfal ◽  
Juqin Zeng
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Co2 Reduction ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Reduction Reaction ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Global Climate Changes

The CO2 that comes from the use of fossil fuels accounts for about 65% of the global greenhouse gas emission, and it plays a critical role in global climate changes. Among the different strategies that have been considered to address the storage and reutilization of CO2, the transformation of CO2 into chemicals and fuels with a high added-value has been considered a winning approach. This transformation is able to reduce the carbon emission and induce a “fuel switching” that exploits renewable energy sources. The aim of this chapter is to categorize different heterogeneous electrocatalysts which are being used for CO2 reduction, based on the desired products of the above mentioned reactions: from formic acid and carbon monoxide to methanol and ethanol and other possible by products. Moreover, a brief description of the kinetic and mechanism of the CO2 reduction reaction) and pathways toward different products have been discussed.

scholarly journals Acciones en el cuidado del medio ambiente en la escuela de bachilleres “salvador allende” plantel San Juan Del Río, U.A.Q

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 3288-3301
Author(s):  
Cypatly Rojas Miranda ◽  
Yolanda Cortés Alvarez ◽  
Rafael Estrella Velázquez
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Training Course ◽  
Calidad De Vida ◽  
Toma De Decisiones ◽  
Baccalaureate Curriculum ◽  
Del Rio

Se ha escrito mucho en relación al tema ambiental y hemos escuchado innumerables discursos políticos en los que se dice demasiado y poco se lleva a la práctica. En nuestro país, la legislación ambiental se transgrede, la gente permanece indiferente ante la destrucción de su entorno, contribuyendo  a empeorar la situación; por ello, urge un cambio de actitud a través de la educación, brindando la oportunidad de informar y desarrollar acciones ambientales concretas en donde la participación sea de manera inmediata, activa y asertiva. El Plan de Estudios del Bachillerato de la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro incluye la asignatura de Formación Ambiental impartida en el sexto semestre, cuyo  contenido programático permite desarrollar habilidades, actitudes y valores que contribuyen al desarrollo sustentable de manera crítica, con acciones responsables en la identificación y análisis de los problemas reales del entorno, con el enfoque de formar  profesionistas capacitados en la solución de problemas ambientales. Actualmente se confronta la amenaza ambiental más crítica de la historia: deterioro del suelo, del agua y de los recursos marinos, esenciales para la producción alimentaria, contaminación atmosférica, pérdida de biodiversidad, daño a la capa de ozono y al cambio climático global. La  sustentabilidad ambiental se refiere a la administración racional de los recursos naturales, de manera que sea posible mejorar el bienestar de la población actual sin comprometer la calidad de vida  de las generaciones futuras[1]; permitiendo que desde el interior del plantel educativo se generen acciones  a través del  trabajo colaborativo  para lograr un ambiente integral, limpio, sano y armónico.   En los últimos tres años el abordaje de los contenidos de la asignatura de Formación Ambiental se realiza conformando brigadas de trabajo que permiten ejecutar acciones inmediatas, en colaboración del personal administrativo, alumnos, maestros y padres de familia, en el cuidado de las áreas verdes, recolección de PET, ahorro de energía eléctrica y agua, contaminación visual y auditiva, reciclaje de papel, elaboración de composta, cultivo hidropónico, divulgación ecológica y supresión del tabaquismo; con el objetivo de formar individuos competentes en la toma  de decisiones  a problemas urgentes como es el Desarrollo Sustentable.   [1] Méndez, J., (2008) Problemas Económicos de México,Mc. Graw Hill, Ed. 6ª. México.  p. 48    Much has been written in relation to environmental issues and has heard countless political speeches in which he says too little is put into practice. In our country, environmental regulations are violated and people are indifferent to the destruction of their environment and contribute to worsening the situation. Faced with this problem it is necessary to achieve a change in attitudes through education, to give our students the opportunity to develop specific environmental actions in which they participate in immediate, active and assertive, with this, in the Baccalaureate curriculum at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro includes Environmental Training course that is taught in the sixth semester, containing program that allows the development of skills, attitudes and values ​​that contribute to sustainable development in a critical way, with responsible actions enabling the identification and analysis of the real problems of environment, so as to obtain the foundation for a future that integrates the student as a professional in solving many environmental problems. Currently facing the most critical environmental threat in history, ground deterioration , water and marine resources essential to food production rising, air pollution, biodiversity loss, but not less important damage to the ozone layer and global climate change. Talk of environmental sustainability refers to the efficient and rational management of natural resources, so it is possible to improve the welfare of the people today without compromising the quality of life of future generations, allowing it from inside the campus generate strategies through the collaborative work environment that may lead to a comprehensive, clean, healthy and harmonious. In our institution we have done in the past three years' experience in dealing with the contents of the Environmental Training course, forming work teams that can implement immediate actions with the participation of administrative staff, students, teachers and parents, in the care of green areas, collection of PET, saving electricity and water pollution, visual and auditory, paper recycling, composting, hydroponics, organic outreach, collection of batteries and elimination of smoking, with the aim of contribute to the formation of competent individuals in making decisions to urgent problems such as Sustainable Development.

scholarly journals A review of regulation ecosystem services and disservices from faunal populations and potential impacts of agriculturalisation on their provision, globally

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 1-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Gutierrez-Arellano ◽  
Mark Mulligan
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Structure Degradation ◽  
Animal Populations

Land use and cover change (LUCC) is the main cause of natural ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss and can cause a decrease in ecosystem service provision. Animal populations are providers of some key regulation services: pollination, pest and disease control and seed dispersal, the so-called faunal ecosystem services (FES). Here we aim to give an overview on the current and future status of regulation FES in response to change from original habitat to agricultural land globally. FES are much more tightly linked to wildlife populations and biodiversity than are most ecosystem services, whose determinants are largely climatic and related to vegetation structure. Degradation of ecosystems by land use change thus has much more potential to affect FES. In this scoping review, we summarise the main findings showing the importance of animal populations as FES providers and as a source of ecosystem disservices; underlying causes of agriculturalisation impacts on FES and the potential condition of FES under future LUCC in relation to the expected demand for FES globally. Overall, studies support a positive relationship between FES provision and animal species richness and abundance. Agriculturalisation has negative effects on FES providers due to landscape homogenisation, habitat fragmentation and loss, microclimatic changes and development of population imbalance, causing species and population losses of key fauna, reducing services whilst enhancing disservices. Since evidence suggests an increase in FES demand worldwide is required to support increased farming, it is imperative to improve the understanding of agriculturalisation on FES supply and distribution. Spatial conservation prioritisation must factor in faunal ecosystem functions as the most biodiversity-relevant of all ecosystem services and that which most closely links sites of service provision of conservation value with nearby sites of service use to provide ecosystem services of agricultural and economic value.

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