Redefining Smart Cities, Urban Energy, and Green Technologies for Sustainable Development

Increasing greenhouse effects and global warming have been threatening the environment. Cities have directed their development strategies towards smart policies aiming to improve the quality of life of their inhabitants through sustainable environment and energy resources. Therefore, it became a very critical strategy to redefine urban energy sources and apply green technologies in all means of city lives for sustainable cities and reaching Sustainable Development Goals. In this chapter, background information for the role of cities in climate change and environmental pollution globally will be explained. Then a theoretical framework for smart cities and their important features focusing on technology innovation, smart governance, energy efficiency, waste management, as well as green buildings, smart grid-smart lighting, and smart mobility will be analyzed. Finally, sustainable development policy suggestions for sustainable plans and programs at the urban level within the current legislative framework will be put forth.

Tropical cyclone risk assessment with special reference to Bangladesh

Tropical cyclones are regarded as the most deadly among all natural disasters. They bring catastrophic ravages to life and property as well as to environment. Among all the areas in the world affected by tropical cyclones, the countries along the rim of the Bay of Bengal suffer most and Bangladesh is the worst sufferer. In order to minimise the future loss of life and property, proper cyclone disaster management action is an absolute necessity. This, in turn, requires a better assessment of risks associated with a cyclone. The present paper discusses the major components of risk assessment, viz., (i) inventory of cyclones with associated causes of hazards, (ii) analysis of damages and inventory of elements at risk and (iii) vulnerability analysis with special reference to Bangladesh. Inventory of cyclones deals with the cyclone climatology in the Bay of Bengal region over the period 1881-1990. Discussions on causes of hazards cover strong winds. storm surges, rainfall. socio-economic factors, greenhouse effects, etc. An idea about the degree of cyclone damages and the elements at risks in Bangladesh is given. Some discussions on vulnerability analysis and risk reduction/mitigation with a few case studies in Bangladesh are made. Finally few recommendations are put forward.

Environmental risk of pharmaceuticals: let´s look at the whole package

Concern about potential deleterious effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment is growing fast. From wiping out vulture populations in Asia, to feminization of fish, pharmaceuticals have shown to provoke important consequences albeit at very low concentrations. A recent article addresses the environmental impact of metered-dose inhalers for asthma in the United Kingdom due to the greenhouse effects hydrofluorocarbons they contain. Since 2005, it is mandatory for all new drugs in Europe to be assessed for their environmental impact. Crucially, this regulation solely refers to the active pharmaceutical ingredient, not the “whole medicine” or finished medical product. This can sometimes lead to incongruences. For instance, it does not consider the environmental impact of the hydrofluorocarbons contained in MDIs. Another example is Adasuve®, an antipsychotic (loxapine) aimed at the rapid control of agitation in patients suffering from psychotic disorders. The device was developed as a rapid systemic delivery of loxapine by inhalation of a thermally generated aerosol for single use. Apart from the active substance it holds a medical-grade plastic housing and a lithium battery. Therefore, after every single use, a lithium battery waste is produced. We envision that we are on a brink of a new era in pharmacotherapy, in which environmental aspects of drugs are taken into account. In definitive, we agree with Wilkinson & Woodcock. When considering the environmental impact of pharmaceuticals, we need to take into account the whole package.

Habitability of the early Earth: liquid water under a faint young Sun facilitated by strong tidal heating due to a closer Moon

Geological evidence suggests liquid water near the Earth’s surface as early as 4.4 gigayears ago when the faint young Sun only radiated about 70% of its modern power output. At this point, the Earth should have been a global snowball if it possessed atmospheric properties similar to those of the modern Earth. An extreme atmospheric greenhouse effect, an initially more massive Sun, release of heat acquired during the accretion process of protoplanetary material, and radioactivity of the early Earth material have been proposed as reservoirs or traps for heat. For now, the faint-young-Sun paradox persists as an important problem in our understanding of the origin of life on Earth. Here, we use the constant-phase-lag tidal theory to explore the possibility that the new-born Moon, which formed about 69 million years (Myr) after the ignition of the Sun, generated extreme tidal friction—and therefore, heat—in the Hadean and possibly the Archean Earth. We show that the Earth–Moon system has lost $${\sim }3~{\times }~10^{31}$$ ∼ 3 × 10 31 J (99% of its initial mechanical energy budget) as tidal heat. Tidal heating of $${\sim }10\,\mathrm{W\,m}^{-2}$$ ∼ 10 W m - 2 through the surface on a time scale of 100 Myr could have accounted for a temperature increase of up to $$5\,^\circ $$ 5 ∘ C on the early Earth. This heating effect alone does not solve the faint-young-Sun paradox but it could have played a key role in combination with other effects. Future studies of the interplay of tidal heating, the evolution of the solar power output, and the atmospheric (greenhouse) effects on the early Earth could help in solving the faint-young-Sun paradox.

Preface

The 1st of International Conference on Livestock in Tropical Environment (ICLiTE-1) 1-2 September 2021, Surakarta, Indonesia https://iclite.id/ Proudly present by: Master Program of Animal Science Universitas Sebelas Maret In collaboration with Indonesian Society of Animal Science Preface First, it is our time to thank all the participants at the 1st International Conference on Livestock in Tropical Environment (ICLiTE-1) on September 1-2, 2021. This conference is proudly organized by the Master Program of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, in collaboration with the Indonesian Society of Animal Science, commonly known as PB-ISPI. At this conference, we invite talks from academicians, professionals, and industries. We consider the current conditions where we are still in a COVID-19 pandemic to hold this conference virtually. Though it is in a pandemic situation, science must go forward, especially in animal science, which is believed to have good prospects during and later after the pandemic. This conference is held to identify ideas, practices, and policies that constitute our concept of livestock production in the tropical environment. For that, we insist on holding the conference online to be a platform between scientists and industry to have a recent view of research during the pandemic situation. The livestock industry in tropical areas is continuously facing complicated challenges due to harsh environmental conditions. These challenges exposed the livestock to both direct and indirect effects. The direct impacts of the tropical environment are related to health, physiology, production, and reproduction. In contrast, indirect effects involved the quality and availability of feed and water resources and the impact on housing design and rearing systems. On the other hand, the livestock industry also contributes to environmental issues related to land space, waste, and greenhouse effects. In addition, tropical areas are the location for most of the developing countries. This part of the world has less investment in the industry and research in livestock as the contributor for animal-based food, while the issues related to food resilience and safety still prevail. The 1st International Conference on Livestock in Tropical Environment is conducted to address the two-way issues regarding the environmental challenges faced by the livestock industry and the impact of the livestock industry on the environment in tropical areas. We also invite some influential distinguished speakers to share their valuable information and knowledge for the plenary session at this conference. List of Conference photographs gallery, Sponsor or funding acknowledgements, List of committees are available in this pdf.

Research on Solar Adsorption Refrigeration System

In order to achieve solar adsorption refrigeration, this paper studies the surface water source solar absorption refrigeration system combined with surface water source cooling and solar absorbent refrigeration techniques: the solar radiation intensity is adjusted by changing the distance between iodine tungsten lamps and solar cold tubes. The results show that the entire cycle has a range of solar radiation intensity of 400 to 1000 W/m2, and the indoor ambient temperature ranges from 19 to 25∘C, and the humidity is maintained around 40%. The highest temperature in the solar cold tube adsorption bed is 12∘C; during the adsorption process, the temperature drops to about 20∘C; the solar cold tube is 160 kJ in one cycle of the solar cold tube, and the cooling coefficient is about 0.15. Conclusion: solar cold tubes can effectively utilize solar refrigeration, it is a refrigeration method for environmentally friendly, no greenhouse effects and ozone destruction, which has potential application value and has energy saving and environmental protection.

10th EURIPA Rural Health Forum “Understanding our Patients - working closely together”. Abstract Book 23 - 25th September 2021

2021 is probably an important milestone to rural world. Lockdown, social distancing, pandemic, climate change, greenhouse effects, planetary health.... all these key words in the same pot. The consequences of these terrible circumstances are already alarming. We will have to work closely with our patients, working together, thinking together, not only as professionals but also as global citizens. Join us, in the most appropriate way, to share the present and build the future. Jean Pierre Jacquet President of EURIPA

Rainfall regime trends at annual and monthly scales in Catalonia (NE Spain) and indications of CO2 emissions effects

The pluviometric regime in the Western Mediterranean and concretely in Catalonia (NE Spain) is characterised by irregular amounts at monthly and annual scales, sometimes with copious short episodes causing floods and, conversely, sometimes with long dry spells exceeding 1 month length, depending on the chosen threshold level to define the dry episode. Taking advantage of a dense network of rain gauges, most of them with records length of 50–60 years and some others exceeding 85 years, the evolution of these monthly and annual amounts is quantified by means of their time trends, statistical significance and several irregularity parameters. In agreement with the evolution of the CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and the increasing concentration, in parts per million (ppm), of this greenhouse gas, different time trends at annual scale have been detected up to approximately years 1960–1970 in comparison with the interval 1960–1970 to nowadays. Consequently, besides the greenhouse effects on the temperature regime, the influence on the pluviometric regime could not be negligible. Graphical abstract

SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INTRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES

Быстрый рост населения в мире приводит к увеличению потребности в энергии и использованию ископаемых видов топлива, таких как уголь, газ и нефть, что создает неустойчивые ситуации и множество проблем, таких как: истощение запасов ископаемого топлива, экологические и географические конфликты, парниковый эффект, глобальное потепление, колебания цен на топливо и др. Решение данных проблем возможно благодаря внедрению возобновляемых источников энергии, которые относятся к устойчивой энергетике и создают положительный эффект для общества по всем направлениям, таким как экономическое, социальное и экологическое. The rapid growth of the world's population leads to an increased demand for energy and the use of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil, which creates unsustainable situations and many problems, such as: depletion of fossil fuels, environmental and geographic conflicts, greenhouse effects, global warming, fluctuating fuel prices, etc. The solution to these problems is possible through the introduction of renewable energy sources, which belong to sustainable energy and create a positive effect on society in all directions, such as economic, social and environmental.

ENERGY EFFICIENT CONSTRUCTION IN UKRAINE AND FRANCE

Problem statement. The building materials choice is usually based on non-environmental criteria, such asfunctionality, technical characteristics, aesthetics, cost, etc., and the environmental and human health impact is rarely takeninto account. Greenhouse effects, climate change, and energy issues remain a key issue at both European and internationallevels. Today, energy-efficient and eco-friendly areas are gaining more and more popularity in the construction industry, sothe design and construction of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings in Ukraine, considering the worldexperience, including European, remains a live issue today. The purpose of this article is to explore the concepts ofenergy-efficient buildings and so-called "green" construction, as well as to analyze and explore the experience of usingenergy-saving resources in Ukraine and France. Results. Ecological and passive houses in Ukraine, energy-efficient andecological buildings in France, Hitachi technologies have been analyzed. Scientific novelty and practical significance. Theanalysis of the problem of improving the energy efficiency of buildings and ways to solve it allowed to identify ofpromising areas of green construction in Ukraine, which will form the basis for further improvement of methods offormation, evaluation, justification, and selection of rational organizational and technological solutions for energy-efficientconstruction and reconstruction.