Environmental Impact Assessment Review最新文献

{"title":"Vessel noise prior to pile driving at offshore windfarm sites deters harbour porpoises from potential injury zones","authors":"Aude Benhemma-Le Gall ,&nbsp;Paul Thompson ,&nbsp;Nathan Merchant ,&nbsp;Isla Graham","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Efforts to meet climate change targets are resulting in rapid and global expansion of offshore windfarms. In many regions, development areas are also used by protected marine mammals, requiring the assessment and mitigation of any risk of injury during construction and operation. For small cetaceans such as the harbour porpoise, there is particular concern over the risk of injury from impulsive noise should individuals remain within near-field injury zones during the installation of pile driven turbine foundations. Currently, this risk is assessed by comparing predicted noise levels at the start of piling with baseline estimates of animal density, which are, in turn, based on data collected at least one year earlier. However, vessel-based preparation work immediately prior to piling may displace animals, thus reducing any risk of injury when pile-driving begins. We investigated the effects of pre-piling activities on local soundscapes and harbour porpoise occurrence during the construction of two deep-water offshore windfarms in NE Scotland. Arrays of echolocation click detectors deployed at a sub-set of turbine sites were used to assess porpoise occurrence within a 5 km buffer during a 48-h period prior to the initiation of piling. In parallel, we characterised local vessel activity using AIS data and underwater broadband noise levels. We then used daily engineering records to characterise variation in construction activities and explore how porpoise occurrence varied during the 48 h prior to piling. On average, vessels arrived onsite 11–15 h before the start of pile-driving activities at both windfarms. In both installation campaigns, harbour porpoise acoustic detection gradually declined by up to 33% during the 48 h prior to piling. This decrease in detections was associated with increased levels of vessel and pre-piling installation activities, and increased local underwater broadband noise levels. These results provide strong evidence of porpoise displacement prior to active mitigation activities, highlighting the need to account for disturbance from multiple sources when optimising mitigation measures aimed at reducing impacts of windfarm construction on protected marine mammal populations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 107271"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195925523002378/pdfft?md5=5de0f0535ece14bd60eab567ffd12513&pid=1-s2.0-S0195925523002378-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43287818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial patterns and environmental benefits of photovoltaic poverty alleviation programs in China","authors":"Yongsheng Wang ,&nbsp;Xiao Cui ,&nbsp;Han Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>The photovoltaic<span> poverty alleviation (PVPA) project in China integrates clean energy production into poverty reduction, gaining significant academic interest. However, a systematic assessment of the spatial distribution and emission reduction performance of existing PVPA power plants at the site level remains deficient. Based on comprehensive data collection and </span></span>spatial visualization<span> of all PVPA plants, we revealed spatial distribution patterns and estimates potential environmental benefits for each plant. During 2013–2019, the construction of approximately 180-thansand PVPA plants in China had resulted in an overall installed capacity of 21.77 GW. The spatial layout showed a decreasing trend from east to west, with distinct clusters at the border areas of different provinces. The cumulative emission reduction benefits amounted to 636 million tons, with large-scale solar photovoltaics and the North China Grid contributing significantly. Emission reduction efficiency per unit of installed capacity in the north was higher than the south. This study provides an initial site-level assessment of the PVPA program in China and emphasizes the need for integrating economic feasibility and environmental benefits, along with developing complementary policies and exploring innovative “photovoltaic plus” channels tailored to local contexts in the future.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 107272"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48613194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Green merger and acquisition and green technology innovation: Stimulating quantity or quality?","authors":"Yan Zhang ,&nbsp;Ziyuan Sun ,&nbsp;Yiqiang Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107265","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>An increasing number of heavy pollution enterprises are enthusiastically involved in green merger and acquisition<span> (GMA), but the impact on green technology innovation (eco-innovation) has yet to be explored. Does it stimulate the quantity or quality of eco-innovation? By manually collecting GMA engagements of China's heavy pollution enterprises from 2010 to 2020, this study employed the staggered DID method to explore this issue. The empirical results show that: (1) GMA significantly improves the quantity rather than the quality of eco-innovation. After a </span></span>battery<span> of robustness checks, such as the parallel trend test, placebo test, substitution variables, and an adjusted sample interval, the conclusion remains valid. (2) Through analyzing the motivation of GMA, we find that the desire to obtain government green innovation subsidies and enjoy tax preferences prevails, which results in the scale and quality of GMA tending to be smaller and worse, respectively. (3) Moreover, the decline in the quality of environmental disclosure and CSR provides further evidence that the quality of eco-innovation did not improve. Briefly, this study enriches theoretical grounding regarding strategies of GMA in heavy pollution enterprises and provides implications for governments in emerging economies to guide enterprises to sincerely promote both the quantity and quality of eco-innovation via GMA deals.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 107265"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42652396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Socioeconomic assessment of the restoration of highly modified coastal ecosystems by mining activities","authors":"Ángel Perni ,&nbsp;José Miguel Martínez-Paz","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107251","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107251","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Highly modified coasts are associated to sub-optimal provision of ecosystem services, causing biodiversity losses and negative impacts on social welfare. Although ecological arguments can justify the restoration of coastal environments, technical, social and economic issues often pose complex obstacles to implement efficient restorations. Indeed, there is a lack of socioeconomic assessments in both academic literature and policy decision-making showing whether the restoration of highly modified coasts are socially acceptable and economically efficient. This paper presents the case of the Portmán Bay (SE Spain), described as the most polluted coastal area by mining activities in the entire Mediterranean region. The question on how to restore the bay has been under debate for decades and there is not social and political consensus about its restoration yet. Our results suggest that, in terms of social preferences and net benefits, the preferred alternative would be to recover the coast and improve habitat continuity between the bay and other adjacent natural areas. Development of other economic activities incompatible with natural conservation could only compensate social welfare losses by increasing public taxation on private sector. Our results confirm that, once social preferences are taken into account, the restoration of heavily modified coastal ecosystems can be economically efficient even though it implies significant technical constraints and high public expenditures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 107251"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195925523002172/pdfft?md5=e1483c9b940cf9548936ed7f01c8c8f6&pid=1-s2.0-S0195925523002172-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45011865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The characteristics of noise propagation and distribution on the ultra-wide cross section of highways: A case study in Guangdong Province","authors":"Xiaochun Qin ,&nbsp;Yanhua Li ,&nbsp;Lin Ma ,&nbsp;Yuping Zhang ,&nbsp;Anchen Ni ,&nbsp;Vicky Wangechi Wangari","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107323","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107323","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this paper, the typical 10-lane highway in the reconstruction and expansion project is taken as an example to clarify the noise propagation<span> and distribution characteristics of ultra-wide cross section. With the aid of the highway noise prediction<span> model based on the acoustic environment guidelines and field measurements, the noise propagation and distribution characteristics under ultra-wide cross section were summarized through visualized noise maps and quantitative data analysis. The results show that for the highway with ultra-wide cross section, reducing the speed of small vehicles can improve noise reduction in the horizontal direction by about 1 dB(A) than reducing the speed of large and medium-sized vehicles. In addition, the noise reduction effect of all floors can be improved by 0.2–0.9 dB(A) in the vertical direction, which proves that the noise reduction effect is more obvious by reducing the speed of small vehicles. Besides, the noise sound pressure level variation range on low-rise floors increases more significantly with increased traffic volume than high-rise floors. The variation between different building floors is also similar to the increase in traffic volume in the vertical direction. The result can provide theoretical guidance for the prevention of highway noise under ultra-wide cross section.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 107323"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72206095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of urban public transport sustainability in China based on the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework——A case study of 36 major cities","authors":"Xiaoran Hou ,&nbsp;Tao Lv ,&nbsp;Jie Xu ,&nbsp;Xu Deng ,&nbsp;Feng Liu ,&nbsp;Jasmine Siu Lee Lam ,&nbsp;Zhenzhen Zhang ,&nbsp;Xuesen Han","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107263","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107263","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>With urbanization and motorization, the sustainable development of urban transport has drawn extensive attention worldwide. As one of the key components of the transport system, urban public transport<span> is the breakthrough. This study focused on the characteristics of public transport, analyzed the causal and restrictive relationships between anthropogenic activities and urban public transport sustainability based on the Driving Force-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework, and decomposed the interaction to establish an evaluation index system. An improved set pair analysis-variable fuzzy set model (ISPA-VFSM) was constructed to evaluate urban public transport sustainability in China's 36 major cities in 2020 and analyze the critical influence factors and restriction modes according to the contribution degree and obstacle degree. The results show that: (1) The sustainable development of urban public transport is a systematic process, and public transport sustainability in 36 major cities shows the spatial distribution characteristics of “high in the southeast and low in the west;” Most megacities are at the forefront, benefiting from outstanding state and response levels, with Shenzhen ranking first; while the megapolises generally display moderate sustainability. Cities in Northeast and Northwest China present lower levels of sustainability. (2) Public transport sustainability in China is deficient, exhibiting a certain gap from the target. The levels of the driving force, pressure, state, impact, and response of public transport sustainability in 36 major cities are unbalanced; (3) The restriction mode of urban public transport sustainability in 36 major cities can be roughly divided into three categories: pressure-impact restriction mode, driving force-impact restriction mode, and state-response restriction mode; (4) State and response play a crucial role in achieving public transport sustainability. Public transport infrastructure, electrification substitution, and efficiency of public transport operations are the primary contributing factors to public transport sustainability. This study enriches the indicators and methods for sustainability evaluation and provides a reference for urban public transport sustainable development.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 107263"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49025745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Regionalized environmental damages and life cycle cost of chickpea production using LC-IMPACT assessment","authors":"Ashkan Nabavi-Pelesaraei,&nbsp;Anders Damgaard","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107259","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107259","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>Modern intensive agriculture worldwide is generating increasing environmental and economic pressures that hinder its sustainable development. This study proposes the joint use </span>life cycle assessment<span> (LCA) and life cycle costing<span> (LCC) to evaluate irrigated chickpea production (ICP) and the eco-environmental situation of dry farming (DFCP). Data are collected from 625 chickpea farmers in in the Kermanshah province of Iran. The most updated approach, LC-IMPACT, is applied for the first time globally in agricultural activity LCA. Results indicate that most impact categories of ICP have higher rates than DFCP. On-Field emissions and pesticides in DFCP, and nitrogen and phosphate in ICP, are identified as the main hotspots. The LCC analysis reveals that the total emissions cost (EC) for DFCP and ICP is 130 and 53 $ per one tone of chickpea (1TCP</span></span></span>⁻¹), respectively. Additionally, the LCC for DFCP and ICP is computed as 837 and 666 $ 1TCP⁻¹. The eco-efficiency rate of damage categories in DFCP shows a better situation compared to the ICP scenario. The findings indicate that the DFCP scenario exhibits a higher level of environmental friendliness compared to the ICP scenario. Finally, it can be concluded that the joint use of LC-IMPACT assessment method and LCC can contribute to achieving better eco-environmental conditions in chickpea production.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 107259"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42161313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tourism landscape footprint in the archaeological landscape","authors":"Anna Żemła-Siesicka","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107255","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107255","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Tourism has an increasing influence on the environment, including a significant impact on the landscape. This article presents a method of assessing the Tourism Landscape Footprint in selected archaeological sites (in Poland), understood as a degree of the influence of tourist facilities on the landscape physiognomy. The more numerous the facilities, the more visible they are in the landscape, and the closer to the archaeological forms they are located, the greater is their visual impact. An index of the Tourism Landscape Footprint was proposed based on the assumption, that the </span>impact of tourism facilities on the landscape depends on the number of the facilities, their type (a coefficient indicating the scale of the impact of the facilities on the landscape), and their location (distance to the archaeological forms). The results show that the landscape of the sites under consideration has not been strongly transformed, however, the obtained Tourism Landscape Footprint index is diversified. The differentiation of the index, of the archaeological forms (their number and area) and the tourism infrastructure, allowed us to group the sites (using the cluster analysis), in terms of the character of the landscape and the influence of the tourist development. Presented method provides a tool for comparing and diagnosing changes induced by tourism development in the historical landscape.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 107255"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44251935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mongolian mining engagement with SIA and ESG initiatives","authors":"Troy Sternberg ,&nbsp;Ariell Ahearn","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107269","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107269","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The shift to a low-carbon future places mineral-rich low- and middle-income countries at the forefront of the green transition. The focus on investment and extraction presents significant domestic challenges as countries endeavour to create viable development agendas. Framed by initiatives including environmental, social and governance (ESG), impact assessment (IA) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the international community works to improve extractive practices. In Mongolia, the most mining-dependent country in Asia, addressing and mitigating industry impacts is key to continued resource extraction and economic progress. Whilst often a signatory to global programmes, government engagement is limited. Mongolia ranks 157th in ESG and though mining licenses cover 4% of the country, there is no social impact assessment (SIA) legislation. Extensive research on the development of SIA guidelines identified strong community interest yet dilatory official uptake and commitment. Ongoing engagement with civil society has seen regulations advanced and the legislative process initiated. Mongolia's struggle identifies common challenges LMICs face in the implementation of global initiatives. Whilst well-intentioned, without government commitment ESG and IA will remain ambiguous terms for serious social and environmental issues in mining nations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 107269"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195925523002354/pdfft?md5=36446fd9802832c4006687dee63a44f6&pid=1-s2.0-S0195925523002354-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48631395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An applied framework to assess sustainability awareness and corporate misconduct considering just transition","authors":"Xinzhou Qi ,&nbsp;Ling Sun ,&nbsp;Zijiang Hu ,&nbsp;Eric Li ,&nbsp;Zhong Ning","doi":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107261","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eiar.2023.107261","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>This study introduces the Dynamic Just Transition Interaction Model (DJTIM), which integrates </span>Stakeholder Theory, Institutional Theory, and </span>Resource Dependence Theory<span><span>, to investigate the reciprocal causal relationship between sustainability awareness and corporate misconduct in China. Utilizing the bootstrap subsample rolling window Granger causality test, the authors examine the influence of sustainability awareness on the frequency and severity of violations, uncovering intricate dynamics that vary across different periods and factors. Our findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, emphasizing the need for a nuanced interpretation of data and targeted policy recommendations during the just transition process. Furthermore, this research has practical implications for corporations in China and other emerging markets, providing guidance on managing public scrutiny, mitigating misconduct risks, and fostering responsible business practices. The proposed DJTIM framework enriches the existing literature on just transition and corporate responsibility, contributing to the advancement of </span>sustainable development goals.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":309,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Impact Assessment Review","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 107261"},"PeriodicalIF":7.9,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43542815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}