Scenario of Municipal Waste Management in Malaysia

Malaysia has rapidly modernized, with most of the population now residing in cities and the remainder in rural or remote areas. The amount of municipal solid waste generated has increased in tandem with the country's rapid urbanization in response to that statement. Due to a lack of connectivity in rural areas, there may be insufficient infrastructure for a proper waste management system. As a result, illegal waste dumping was common, and landfills' massive volumes of waste may contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. The Malaysian government has responded by taking the necessary steps to upgrade the country's current waste management system in order to better manage municipal solid waste disposal. This research looks at how energy recovery from accumulated waste can be used as a renewable energy source, as well as the current issues, challenges, and proposed solutions. Methane gas produced as a byproduct of waste decomposition in landfills or disposal sites was used to generate electricity more efficiently and sustainably, resulting in a positive economic and environmental outcome.

Assessment of photovoltaic generation, supply, and sustainability: a case study of municipalities in São Paulo state

Energy consumption has been increasing together with population growth and the consequences for energy production widely generate discussions under the aspect of environmental outcome and supply reliability and quality. This paper proposes a methodology that allows the estimation of the potential for cities to be more independent in terms of centralized generation and distribution of electricity considering photovoltaic sources. Sustainability and environmental performance are also discussed. The methodology aims to assess some municipalities in the São Paulo state. The results showed high potential for photovoltaic supply in those municipalities under the considered conditions indicating the possibility for structuring a decentralized generation model where cities would be more independent in electricity supply. Implementing the required photovoltaic systems would return the energy consumed during their life cycle in a relatively short period compared to their expected lifetime.

Managing Water Resources

Water is linked to every facet of human development and prosperity. This paper seeks to capture the grassroots interventions undertaken by industry in improving the management of water resources. As water can directly impact the livelihood therefore the conservation, revival and development of water resources calls for a comprehensive and holistic approach. It puts into perspective the operational modality of industry in engaging with the community and improving the management of water resources. The objective is to provide a dynamic insight into the operational model of the industry in addressing the accumulated neglect in the water sector. An assessment of the operating model reiterates the positive social, economic, and environmental outcome in a sustainable manner. Therefore, it is proposed to explore operating beyond the level of “watershed” to larger level “river basin”. Going forward it is imperative to revive a culture of community base management of natural resources.

CO2 Emission Due to Excavation

Rapid urbanization in developing countries causes the emission of greenhouse gases. A major part of emission is released by infrastructure construction sites. construction process involves excavation, (which is a significant area of study, given that it involves changing the site by disturbing and removing vegetation. The main gases which are associated with excavation include carbon dioxide(CO2), methane(CH4) and nitrous oxide(N2O). These gases (greenhouse gases) are responsible for global warming. Nearly about 22.6% emission of co2 is due to earthwork on the construction site. Although excavation is economical in terms of delivering a flat base for raft construction, the environmental outcome of this approach needs to be examined more carefully in terms of influencing the environment. The air quality in India according to a WHO one of the polluted country in the world. In this situation, controlling and reducing pollution is an area of prime concern

Indicators and Methodologies of Energy Efficiency in China

The inconsensus in the definition and indicators of energy efficiency has caused great difficulty when evaluating energy efficiency. The research, based on a review of literature focused on China’s energy efficiency, discussed the indicators and evaluation models of energy efficiency. Current studies exhibited many input indicators but output indicator focused on GDP, neglecting the environmental outcome. DEA model is proved to be a more reliable and practical model which can illustrate the multiple elements involved in the use of energy. A common limitation found in the previously advocated DEA models in energy efficiency analysis relates to the absence of undesirable output in the production process. The future work should be done in the framework of total-factor analysis taking account of both desirable and undesirable outputs.

Robust design of multiscale programs to reduce deforestation

ABSTRACTA framework is provided for structuring programs aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). Crediting reference levels and the coordination among different implementing entities at multiple geographic scales are discussed. A crediting reference level has an error component if it differs from the business-as-usual (BAU) without REDD. Both the BAU emissions and the impact of REDD actions are uncertain, implying that participating in REDD entails stakeholder risk, the distribution of which depends on REDD program design. To categorize REDD architectures we definescale-neutralitywhereby, for a given REDD design, crediting relative to the reference level at a given scale is not affected by errors in reference levels at scales below it. Sufficient conditions are derived for scale-neutrality to hold. A Brazilian Amazon example is provided, comparing potential REDD architectures, and highlighting how a cap-and-trade approach may match the environmental outcome obtainable with perfect foresight of the BAU emissions.

DEALING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE: POSSIBLE PATHWAYS FORWARD

Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the international community has sought to find a policy framework to address the threat of human induced climate change. The most significant action to date has been the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in December 1997, which could enter into force in 2003. The protocol includes legally binding emission reductions for some countries over the period 2008–12.It has yet not been possible, however, to find an approach that is truly global and that is aligned with the long-term environmental goal of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions to a safe level.A framework for action that addresses these shortcomings is developed in this paper. The underlying tenets are environmental effectiveness, economic efficiency, and equity. The power of technology is drawn into the solution, the importance of an appropriate timeframe for action is acknowledged and involvement by all major emitting countries is facilitated. Importantly, this last point includes participation by developing countries in a way that accommodates their aspirations for economic growth. Together, these elements allow a response that minimises costs and maximises the environmental outcome while at the same time enhancing the growth prospects of developing countries.