| 1. |
- Egeskog, Andrea, 1981, et al.
(författare)
-
Actions and opinions of Brazilian farmers who shift to sugarcane : an interview-based assessment with discussion of implications for land-use change
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Land use policy. - Kidlington : Elsevier. - 0264-8377 .- 1873-5754. ; 57, s. 594-604
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sugarcane ethanol systems can deliver large greenhouse gas emissions savings if emissions associated with land-use change are kept low. This qualitative study documents and analyzes actions and opinions among Brazilian farmers who shift to sugarcane production. Semi-structured interviews were held with 28 actors associated with sugarcane production in three different regions: one traditional sugarcane region and two regions where sugarcane is currently expanding. Most farmers considered sugarcane a land diversification option with relatively low economic risk, although higher risk than their previous land use. Beef production was considered a low-risk option, but less profitable than sugarcane. In conjunction with converting part of their land to sugarcane, most farmers maintained and further intensified their previous agricultural activity, often beef production. Several farmers invested in expanded production in other regions with relatively low land prices. Very few farmers in the expansion regions shifted all their land from the former, less profitable, use to sugarcane. Very few farmers in this study had deforested any land in connection with changes made when shifting to sugarcane. The respondents understand "environmental friendliness" as compliance with the relevant legislation, especially the Brazilian Forest Act, which is also a requirement for delivering sugarcane to the mills. Indirect land-use change is not a concern for the interviewed farmers, and conversion of forests and other native vegetation into sugarcane plantations is uncontroversial if legal. We derive hypotheses regarding farmers' actions and opinions from our results. These hypotheses aim to contribute to better understanding of what takes place in conjunction with expansion of sugarcane and can, when tested further, be of use in developing, e.g., policies for iLUC-free biofuel production.
|
|
| 2. |
- Selck, H., et al.
(författare)
-
Assessing and managing multiple risks in a changing worldThe Roskilde recommendations
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. - Hoboken, NJ : Wiley. - 0730-7268 .- 1552-8618. ; 36:1, s. 7-16
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Roskilde University (Denmark) hosted a November 2015 workshop, Environmental RiskAssessing and Managing Multiple Risks in a Changing World. This Focus article presents the consensus recommendations of 30 attendees from 9 countries regarding implementation of a common currency (ecosystem services) for holistic environmental risk assessment and management; improvements to risk assessment and management in a complex, human-modified, and changing world; appropriate development of protection goals in a 2-stage process; dealing with societal issues; risk-management information needs; conducting risk assessment of risk management; and development of adaptive and flexible regulatory systems. The authors encourage both cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to address their 10 recommendations: 1) adopt ecosystem services as a common currency for risk assessment and management; 2) consider cumulative stressors (chemical and nonchemical) and determine which dominate to best manage and restore ecosystem services; 3) fully integrate risk managers and communities of interest into the risk-assessment process; 4) fully integrate risk assessors and communities of interest into the risk-management process; 5) consider socioeconomics and increased transparency in both risk assessment and risk management; 6) recognize the ethical rights of humans and ecosystems to an adequate level of protection; 7) determine relevant reference conditions and the proper ecological context for assessments in human-modified systems; 8) assess risks and benefits to humans and the ecosystem and consider unintended consequences of management actions; 9) avoid excessive conservatism or possible underprotection resulting from sole reliance on binary, numerical benchmarks; and 10) develop adaptive risk-management and regulatory goals based on ranges of uncertainty. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:7-16. (c) 2016 SETAC
|
|
| 3. |
- Pedersen, Eja, et al.
(författare)
-
Human perception of sound from wind turbines
- 2010
-
Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The erection of wind turbines is preceded by an environmental assessment of the impact of wind turbines on people living nearby. One impact to be assessed is sound. It is thus important to have scientifically based knowledge of how wind turbine sound will be perceived in order to ensure that this sound does not adversely affect the health of residents in the area. This report presents an analysis of the results from two previous field studies investigating the relation between sound levels from wind turbines at dwellings and the perception of the sound. It also describes the factors influencing this relationship. In a diary study the participants reported how often they were home and, if so, whether they were outdoors, and whether they could hear the turbines. The objective of this study was to describe how often the sound from wind turbines was heard and in which meteorological conditions. A complementary field study investigated the accuracy of the sound propagation model used today by com paring longterm sound measurements with the values calculated using differ ent models. This study also investigated whether variations in meteorological factors influenced sound propagation to such a degree that they should be included in the calculation of sound levels.The joint analyses of the two field studies confirm and strengthen previously reported data. The percentage of respondents who noticed wind turbine sound as well as the percentage annoyed by the noise, increased with increasing sound levels. The probability of being annoyed was greater in rural areas and if the turbines were visible from the dwelling. However, differences in terrain had no statistical effect. The only association between sound levels and healthrelated variables other than annoyance was disturbed sleep.Participants in the diary study more often reported hearing sound from the wind turbines when the electrical power increased (i.e. when electricity produc tion increased). A statistically significant relationship between how often the sound was heard and the calculated sound level at the dwelling was found, even though the amount of time the participants spent outdoor varied substantially; the higher the calculated sound level, the more often the sound was heard. The diary study also gave some insight into the relationship between audibility and wind speed. The results indicate that wind turbine sound could still be heard at relatively high wind speeds, when it would have been expected to be masked.Longterm measurements of wind turbine sound at about 550 meters from a modern turbine showed that the calculated and measured levels agreed well. Sound levels calculated using a parabolic equation model, which takes into account variations in meteorological factors, did not give a better prediction than the model commonly used at environmental permit proceed ings [Naturvårdsverket 2001]. Meteorological variations are probably only of importance for sound propagation at longer distances. Meteorological circumstances could, however, be important for estimation of the source sound levels, the largest element of uncertainty in the calculations.The studies show that the sound levels vary at the same wind speed, and that wind turbine sound could still be heard at wind speeds when it should be masked by other windinduced sounds. This implies that the description in the environmental impact assessment of the sound that neighbours will pos sibly hear should be extended, even though the sound propagation model used today is adequate. Further studies regarding the possibility of hearing the sound at high wind speeds are needed, as the number of participants in the diary study was small. The data also suggest that the risk of sleep disturbance should be further explored.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Waara, Sylvia, et al.
(författare)
-
Performance of a constructed wetland system for treatment of landfill leachate.
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Waste 2008. Waste and Resource management-A shared responsibility. - Stanton-on-the-Wolds : Waste Conference Ltd.. ; , s. 655-667, s. 655-667
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The performance of a constructed wetland for treatment of landfill leachate has been evaluated based upon data obtained during 4 years (2003-2006). It consists of a series of 10 ponds with a total capacity of 52.000 m3 covering 8 ha. Using univariate and multivariate statistics (PCA) the reduction pattern of a large number of chemical parameters including heavy metals has been investigated in 3 parts of the wetland with equal volume. Analyses show that many parameters are removed to the greatest extent in the first part of the system (e.g. many heavy metals, total suspended solids) or the second part of the system (N-NH4) while other parameters such as total nitrogen are more gradually reduced (10 ton/year removed). Toxicity testing with 5 bioassays showed that toxicity was sometimes observed at the inlet but no toxicity was observed at the outlet for 4 of the test species. The data presented will be used for optimizing the treatment process as well as to improve the monitoring program.
|
|
| 6. |
- Hambäck, Peter A., et al.
(författare)
-
Tradeoffs and synergies in wetland multifunctionality : A scaling issue
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - Amsterdam : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 862
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Wetland area in agricultural landscapes has been heavily reduced to gain land for crop production, but in recent years there is increased societal recognition of the negative consequences from wetland loss on nutrient retention, biodiversity and a range of other benefits to humans. The current trend is therefore to re-establish wetlands, often with an aim to achieve the simultaneous delivery of multiple ecosystem services, i.e., multifunctionality. Here we review the literature on key objectives used to motivate wetland re-establishment in temperate agricultural landscapes (provision of flow regulation, nutrient retention, climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation and cultural ecosystem services), and their relationships to environmental properties, in order to identify potential for tradeoffs and synergies concerning the development of multifunctional wetlands. Through this process, we find that there is a need for a change in scale from a focus on single wetlands to wetlandscapes (multiple neighboring wetlands including their catchments and surrounding landscape features) if multiple societal and environmental goals are to be achieved. Finally, we discuss the key factors to be considered when planning for re-establishment of wetlands that can support achievement of a wide range of objectives at the landscape scale.
|
|
| 7. |
- Elgh-Dalgren, Kristin, et al.
(författare)
-
Anaerobic bioremediation of a soil with mixed contaminants : Explosives degradation and influence on heavy metal distribution, monitored as changes in concentration and toxicity
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Water, Air and Soil Pollution. - Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands. - 0049-6979 .- 1573-2932. ; 202:1-4, s. 301-313
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two soils with explosives and metals were evaluated for the degradation efficiency of explosives by native microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. The commercially available method Daramend®, amended with zero-valent iron (ZVI), was compared with a horse-manure amended compost and a treatment with ZVI alone. In a moderately contaminated soil, Daramend® and ZVI treatment gave significantly higher removal rates compared to compost and control treatments (Tukey’s test, P<0.05). The largest overall decrease in ecotoxicity, measured with bioluminescent bacteria (Vibrio fischeri), was achieved with ZVI-treatment. In a more contaminated soil no degradation of contaminants and no decline in soil toxicity could be distinguished after the same time period. Problems with establishment of anaerobic conditions during parts of the remediation process and low microbial activity due to acute toxicity of contaminants are plausible explanations. Redistribution that could potentially lead to mobilization of the co-contaminant Pb was not observed in either of the soils during the biological treatments.
|
|
| 8. |
- de Kwant, Colin, et al.
(författare)
-
The role of product design in circular business models : an analysis of challenges and opportunities for electric vehicles and white goods
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Sustainable Production and Consumption. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 2352-5509. ; 27, s. 1728-1742
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pursuing sustainability implies setting a multitude of open-ended goals to address environmental and socioeconomic issues today as well as those for future generations. The circular economy (CE) paradigm appears more focused regarding goals and agency to address environmental issues by using the economic system. However, companies and governments aiming to operationalize CE in practice, it has been claimed, will face six key challenges limiting the CE “net sustainability impact” potential. This work focuses on the challenges for manufacturers to adopt and operationalize CE for their business. The two key levers for manufacturers to navigate on their path from the linear (take-make-dispose) to a sustainable CE are innovating and designing of the business model and of their products. To date, however, understanding the role of product design in developing circular business models has received little attention in research. This review article builds upon the CE literature foundation, including definitions, challenges, and business modeling frameworks needed to better understand the role of product design. Building on the work of several highly cited CE-centric literature reviews and voices in research and industry, we selected and merged complementing frameworks: Slowing-Closing-Narrowing, Circular Design, and the Circular Business Model Innovation framework. To understand how to put these frameworks into practice, we analyzed CE's links with electric vehicle and white goods research and industry perspectives respectively and collectively. The review and analysis of CE and selected industries’ research was supported by a co-occurrence keyword analysis of 5,960 most cited papers in CE as well as the two product categories, electric vehicles and white goods. The analysis indicated limited maturity and linkage of circular business models and role of product design toward a CE in the research literature for the product categories. This result corroborated the knowledge gap and guided our focus in searching for further research and industry clues. We structured the clues of interest that were specific to or common across product categories and industries, using the integrated framework to visualize our Design for X conclusion. The merged framework visualizes how paths toward CE by design and logic of value creation, delivery, and capturing may differ. To conclude, the authors’ own experience and literature examples from relevant industry-leading and start-up companies are used to apply the framework and reveal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Future research and industry experiments focused on the circular business models based on product service systems and design for CE strategies identified, will be needed to test and extend the framework to other product categories and industry sectors.
|
|
| 9. |
|
|
| 10. |
- Kihlgren, Annica, 1957-, et al.
(författare)
-
Referrals to Emergency departments- The processes and Factors That Influence Decision-Making among Community Nurses
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Open Journal of Nursing. - Irvine, CA : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 2162-5336 .- 2162-5344. ; 4:5, s. 366-374
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the study was to describe the basis on which municipal care registered nurses (RN) make decisions and their experiences when referring older persons from nursing homes to emergency departments (EDs). RNs in the community are to ensure that older adults receive good care quality in nursing home. This study used a descriptive design with a qualitative content analysis. The analysis of the data from the 13 interviews revealed one theme “Shared responsibilities in the best interests of the older person reduce feelings of insufficiency”. The content was formulated, which revealed the RNs’ feelings, reasoning and factors influencing them and their actions in the decision-making situation, before the patients were referred to an emergency department. Complex illnesses, non-adapted organizations, considerations about what was good and right in order to meet the older person’s needs, taking account of her/his life-world, health, well-being and best interests were reported. Co-worker competencies and open dialogues in the “inner circle” were crucial for the nurses’ confidence in the decision. Hesitation to refer was associated with previous negative reactions from ED professionals. The RN sometimes express that they lacked medical knowledge and were uncertain how to judge the acute illness or changes. Access to the “outer circle”, i.e. physicians and hospital colleagues, was necessary to counteract feelings of insecurity about referrals. When difficult decisions have to be made, not only medical facts but also relationships are of importance. To strengthen the RNs’ and staff members’ competence by means of education seems to be important for avoiding unnecessary referrals. Guidelines and work routine need to be more transparent and referrals due to the lack of resources are not only wasteful but can worsen the older persons’ health.
|
|
