Environmental Impact Assessment Review最新文献

Recognizing that centuries of mistreatment of low-income and minority communities by governments and corporations have resulted in widespread exposure to environmental harms, academics and policymakers are seeking ways to improve environmental justice. While it is commonly assumed that improved procedural justice (meaningful participation in decision making) should improve distributive justice (equitable distribution of environmental harms and benefits), empirical evidence of this link is nascent. This paper evaluates whether differing approaches to procedural justice shape recognition of distributive injustices by policymakers, focusing on implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in Puerto Rico. NEPA requires federal agencies to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of projects they implement, fund, or permit; this review commonly includes an assessment of the project's impacts on distributive justice. Drawing on document analysis and interviews with project developers, regulators, and community organizations, we explore how and why four NEPA reviews consider distributional impacts. In all four cases, the community mobilized to voice concerns about the proposed projects' impacts, but the lead agencies and project developers did not always create the space for those voices to collaboratively shape the review. This demonstrates the role of the project developer in how distributive justice considerations are treated, as project leads have discretion on whether and when to provide space for community groups to participate in the process. This research makes two primary contributions. First, by linking features of the decision-making process with environmental justice-related outputs, this research provides practical understanding of ways to support distributive justice and expands knowledge about how participatory governance works within the context of US environmental policy. Second, by studying NEPA's implementation in Puerto Rico, we assess challenges associated with implementing Environmental Impact Assessment in a territorial setting, where the demographics and intensity of environmental problems are distinct from the 'traditional' American context the policies were designed to protect.

The booming animal-sourced foods consumption is a crucial factor driving regional land carbon loss due to the expanded feed use, especially in countries with rapid economic growth. Here, we contribute to revealing the land carbon loss of increased animal-sourced foods consumption in China. Results show that animal-sourced foods consumption in China increased significantly during 2000–2020, especially for beef, dairy and poultry which increased by more than 200 %. As a result, land carbon loss of animal-sourced foods consumption in China has increased by approximately 42 % during the period. Spatially, land carbon loss of animal-sourced foods consumption in most eastern provinces intensified, while that in most western areas declined. The rise of animal-sourced foods consumption per capita was the prominent positive driver for the increase of land carbon loss, while the decline of land carbon loss intensity was the most negative factor. Overall, the booming consumption for animal-sourced foods in China had the dual effects on promoting human dietary and triggering land carbon loss. Therefore, it is essential to formulate strategies for coordinating animal-sourced foods demand and land carbon conservation.

Input-output tables for national economies are widely available and may provide an established mechanism for estimating environmental impacts of industry sectors. We used environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) analysis to estimate greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) for Australian packaged foods and beverages and compared the findings to those derived from life cycle analysis (LCA). GHGe intensities in purchaser prices were used alongside corresponding median prices per kilogram from NielsenIQ Homescan, a nationally representative database with food prices. Applying GHGe estimates to a 2019 Australian packaged food database, we reported median and interquartile range (IQR) GHGe per kilogram, comparing them with LCA-derived estimates. EEIO-derived intensities were estimated for 23,550 products, and the median overall GHGe based on EEIO data was 6.87 kg CO2eq / kg (IQR 4.20 to 10.5). LCA-derived estimates were comparatively lower, showing a median overall GHGe of 2.42 kg CO2eq / kg (IQR 1.41 to 5.00) using Poore and Nemecek data and 2.35 kg CO2eq / kg (IQR 1.24 to 4.53) using FoodSwitch. Despite differences in magnitude, EEIO-derived data discriminated between the highest emitting categories in alignment with the LCA-based approaches. Future work is required to understand the discrepancies and make the EEIO method a compelling alternative to LCA-based approaches.

In light of climatic change and global warming, electricity transmission networks need to be developed for the integration of renewable sources. In North America and Europe, to achieve renewable electricity goals, massive investments in electricity transport infrastructure are planned to connect solar and wind generation sites to the grid network. However, local opposition to new installations of high-voltage overhead transmission lines (HVOTLs) is causing delays and cost overruns. Visual nuisance is an important basis of local stakeholders' opposition to a new project. Estimations of the local economic impact of HVOTLs can help in identifying the external costs of the electricity supply industry to improve both efficiency in electricity pricing and fairness in defining provision for host community compensation. Prior research has provided evidence that existing HVOTLs have negative but not substantial effects on their immediate neighbourhoods. However, these studies have applied a correlational approach. This paper revisits the external effects of HVTOLs, exploring the case of a 225 kV line connecting two medium-size cities (Saint-Privat-d'Allier to Saint-Etienne) in France. We take advantage of the public disclosure in 2009 of undergrounding 8 km out of a total of 87 km lines as a result of a network upgrade project, to develop a difference-in-difference specification of a hedonic regression model, by comparing house sale prices at different distances from existing pylons, before and after the announcement of the decision to upgrade the line. We show that undergrounding was accompanied by an increase of about 38% in the price of treated houses located within 200 m of old pylons. The implied environmental costs of proximity to high-voltage pylons are substantial and their reduction is internalized into house prices as soon as the decision to go underground is announced.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region is an important urban agglomeration in northern China, which has experienced rapid economic growth and heavy air pollution such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions. It is therefore urgent to uncover the socio-economic driving forces of VOCs emissions so that the BTH region can move toward sustainable development. This study aims to fill this research gap by measuring the contributions of different socio-economic factors to VOCs emissions in the BTH region during 2008–2017 by using the generalized Divisia index method (GDIM). Our results show that energy consumption scale and economic scale are the two largest contributors to the increase of VOCs emissions, while emission intensity of output and emission intensity of energy are the two dominant drivers for preventing the increase of VOCs emissions in the BTH region. Other factors, such as population scale, per capita emission, per capita GDP, and energy intensity, have marginal effects on VOCs emissions. These findings provide valuable insights to those policy makers in the BTH region to prepare effective measures to mitigate their VOCs pollution by considering regional disparity.

The Emission Trading System (ETS) is essential for China to achieve its emission reduction goals. This paper combines Synthetic Difference-in-Differences (SDID) and Difference-in-Differences (DID) methods, which are more suitable for the Chinese scenario, to assess the comprehensive influence of the China's ETS. The performances of pilot and non-pilot regions confirm the existence of the “green paradox” issue in China's ETS construction. SDID experiments demonstrate that pilot ETSs significantly suppress emissions in pilot regions. However, most emission reduction occurs during the policy announcement period rather than implementation, indicating an emission period-spillover effect. DID estimations illustrate that the national ETS stimulates the emissions in non-pilot regions during the declaration period. The results of China's ETS policies highlighting the emergency to address the policy time lag problem. Further mechanism tests reveal that most effects are driven by changes in energy structure and carbon leakage. Additionally, we conduct heterogeneity tests from over market design and regional attributes. The results show that higher market coverage and stricter penalties in the ETS market can partially alleviate the “green paradox”. Similarly, reducing regional carbon concentration, promoting marketization, and increasing economic openness also have mitigating effects. Based on the obtained results, this paper concludes with policy recommendations.

South Korea's environmental assessment (EA) system previously relied on the Korea Environment Institute for independent reviews of environmental impact statements. In mid-2022, review privileges were expanded to five institutions including four new organizations that are direct affiliates or subsidiaries of the Ministry of Environment. This diversification aims to improve the EA process, but concerns exist regarding the adequacy of the plans and the lack of prior preparation. The current expansion, focusing on Ministry of Environment affiliates, raises concerns about diminished autonomy and a potential regression in independent review. The authority's initiative to enhance the efficiency of the EA system through diversifying review institutions does not fundamentally address current needs in Korea. This paper argues the most urgent issues in the evolution of the current EA system in Korea. To ensure an effective EA system in the face of climate change and broader environmental challenges, reforms are needed. These reforms should prioritize strengthening consultant capabilities, ensuring independent reviews, reinstating the strategic EA function, and transitioning to a sustainability assessment system.

Assessing coupling coordination (CCD) between socioeconomic development (SD) and eco-environmental quality (EQ) is vital for sustainable development blueprints for mining towns. However, previous studies often overlooked the policy context and the asymmetry of SD and EQ impacts on CCD, in the modeling process, leading to a lack of objectivity and generalizability in the current methods. Therefore, this study devised a novel framework for assessing the CCD in mining towns by leveraging Convolutional Autoencoders and the Cusp Catastrophe model. The effectiveness of the framework was verified using Panxi mining town in China as a case study. Results demonstrate: (1) 65% primary coupling coordination indicates lagging SD in the Panxi mining towns in 2020; (2) there is an evident exponential growth trend in CCD of the Panxi mining towns grew exponentially (R² = 0.94) from −0.351 in 2001 to 0.062 in 2020, and transforming from disorder to primary coupling coordination in 2015; (3) post-2013, effective local policies and measures boosted CCD by 35%, but currently they have not been continuously transformed into a driving force for CCD growth. Therefore, considering the practical challenges associated with different coupling coordination categories, this study provides recommendations for sustainable development at the township scale. The results provides insights for Panxi's sustainable development and aids in developing reliable predictive models for CCD for other mining towns.

The inter-regional carbon emission transfer caused by inter-provincial migrants (IPMs) is an important factor influencing China's provincial residential building carbon emissions (RBCEs). Based on census data and the per capita residential building carbon emissions (PCRBCEs), this study assesses the number of IPMs in China year by year from 2011 to 2020, quantifies the amount of RBCE transfers generated in the process, and further simulates the impacts of different IPM sizes in the future on the timing and pathways of carbon peaking in provincial residential buildings. The results of this study show that the total number of IPMs in China has been increasing year by year since 2015, with the number of new IPMs ranging from 20 to 25 million per year. During the decade from 2011 to 2020, IPMs in China cumulatively led to an increase in RBCEs of 98 MtCO₂. For provinces with large net inflows or outflows of population, such as Beijing, Henan, and Guizhou, the different sizes of future IPMs will have a significant impact on the time of their RBCE peak. Overall, this study fills in data gaps and provides a valuable reference for formulating better carbon peaking pathways at the provincial level.

The scientific literature currently available on the subject has documented pasta cooking to be the second most environmentally impacting phase in the pasta life cycle after durum-wheat (DW) grain production. Those two phases have, therefore, priority in selecting the improvements that can be made, with the consequential effect of improving the life-cycle environmental profile of pasta products. Under this perspective, the authors tested a previously created electrical cooker for dry pasta from an ancient DW variety cultivated in Sicily, performing a combined assessment of the most relevant quality, energy, and environmental issues. The experiments were carried out both on the short and the long shape of pasta, applying alternatively a 10 and 3 L/kg water-to-pasta ratio.

The study attained the proposed goal of proving whether the aforementioned cooker effectively reduces the energy-environmental burdens associated with the cooking of the pasta at issue, without compromising its total quality properties.

Induction cooking systems need, however, for a larger share of renewable energy power, so that they can become even more eco-efficient than they are now. This is expected to grow in the next future because of the ongoing national and world transition towards renewable and cleaner energy sources. Therefore, the use of eco-sustainable pasta cookers, such as the one investigated within this article, combined with the replacement of traditional energy sources with renewable ones, and the promotion of environmental education amongst stakeholders of the pasta sector can act as valid strategies for mitigating and improving the cooking environmental impacts.