ABSTRACT Over the past three decades, agrarian reform areas have transformed urban and rural spaces across Brazil. Although these areas’ creation reduced inequalities and environmental problems, their residents still experience several constraints and vulnerabilities associated with water, energy, and food provision. Drawing on the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus’ critical and territorial perspectives

ABSTRACT Concepts of material flow and mass consistency of nitrogen compounds have been used to elucidate nitrogen’s fate in an urban environment. While reactive nitrogen commonly is associated to agriculture and hence to large areas, here we have compiled scientific literature on nitrogen budget approaches in cities, following the central role cities have in anthropogenic activities generally. This

ABSTRACT We quantified seasonal nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and the associated emission factors (EFs) from: (i) winter oilseed rape (WOSR) cultivated under conventional tillage (CT) and strip tillage (ST) at four fertilizer rates (0, 160, 240 and 320 kg N ha−1) in 2014/2015, and (ii) grassland plots receiving no fertilizer (0 kg N ha−1), or mineral nitrogen (67 kg N ha−1), and either cattle or pig

ABSTRACT The African woodlands known as miombo are one of the world’s largest currently relatively unexploited, but potentially arable, land resources. Miombo landscapes one of the top contemporary locations of conversion of dry forests to crop agriculture. This study investigates the net effect on climate forcing that results from different types of land use change in miombo, taking into account the

(2020). Correction. Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT Soil fluxes of nitrous oxide (N2O) play an important role in the global greenhouse gas budget. However, the response of soil N2O emissions to climate change in temperate forest plantations is not yet well understood. In this study, we assessed the responses of soil N2O fluxes to experimental warming with or without water addition, using a replicated in situ heating (~2°C above ambient) and

Public participation is becoming increasingly important in integrative river restoration projects. However, studies show that flood risk awareness is generally low among residents of flood-prone areas, making it (more) difficult for project managers to involve the public. We contribute to understanding this generally low flood risk perception by carrying out a survey (N = 631) among residents in a

In 2019, New York State passed aggressive new climate legislation to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and laid out major changes for how emissions are reported. One change is the inclusion of emissions from outside of the boundaries of the State if they are associated with energy use within NY; the traditional inventory considered emissions only within the State. The new legislation also mandated

(2020). Correction. Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT Deforestation and land-use change are accelerating in the Congo Basin and elsewhere in the tropics affecting the soil-atmosphere exchange of greenhouse gases (GHG). There is a lack of data from Central Africa. We quantified CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes at the soil-atmosphere interface in a secondary forest, a cocoa agroforest, and an unfertilized cropland in a typical central African forest transition

ABSTRACT As the primary alternative to ozone-depleting refrigerants, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have increased in use and emissions in the United States. This increase, and a large portion of total U.S. HFC consumption, is expected due to the use of HFCs in residential air conditioning (RAC). The RAC market primarily relied upon chlorodifluoromethane, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) known as HCFC-22

ABSTRACT Statistical relationships between surface ozone (O3) concentration, precursor species and meteorological conditions in continental South Africa were examined from data obtained from measurement stations in north-eastern South Africa. Three multivariate statistical methods were applied in the investigation, i.e. multiple linear regression (MLR), principal component analysis (PCA) and –regression

ABSTRACT In the last decade, the debate on the governance of water, energy, and food (WEF) has intensified, spurring the emergence of the term “nexus governance.” In general, the reduction of trade-offs and construction of synergies between WEF have been placed on the scientific, political, and economic agenda. However, although increasingly used, it is difficult to find a clear meaning and definition

As a result of rapid urbanization and climate change, many large- and medium-sized cities in China frequently undergo urban disasters with severe impacts that result in many casualties, induce significant economic losses, and restrict sustainable social and economic development. Providing timely and accurate early warnings is the most effective measure for disaster prevention and mitigation before

Remotely sensed rainfall plays an important role in providing efficient approaches for global or regional rainfall analysis. However, the accuracy of satellite-based products is mainly affected by the errors in sensor observation and retrieval algorithms, particularly with respect to extreme rainfall estimates. The objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of satellite-based products in capturing

(2019). From sustainable drinking water to tsunami hazards: modelling water science for impact. Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 157-161.

ABSTRACT This paper examines the making of urban sustainable food provisioning through the case of Barcelona. Barcelona is seeking to develop a more sustainable food system. It aims to green its municipal food markets by reducing the distances from which the food is sourced from. This has been labelled by the city of Barcelona as “proximity food”. We shed light on how, and to what extent, proximity

Understanding changes in livestock production and their relationship with socio-economic and environmental impacts is important for exploring the pathways towards sustainable development goals (SDGs) of food systems. We used pig production in China as a case study to evaluate how socio-economic indicators influence pig production and nutrient losses using the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and Gini

Saltwater intrusion has immediate influences on the water resources utilization, aquatic environment and ecological system. Hence, it is essential to detect the mechanisms of salt transport. This study adopted observations including instantaneous flow velocities, tide levels and salinity during 10 tide cycles at 2 stations in upstream and downstream of Qiantang Estuary in China. The variables of instantaneous

Globally, groundwater is the major drinking water resource. Improving the sustainability of groundwater abstraction for drinking water calls for adaptation on a local scale. The aim of this research is to develop a locally oriented, integrated sustainability assessment framework to support the adaptation planning process for local drinking water abstractions. The framework uses 45 socio-economic, physical

The protective capability of fringing reefs against tsunami hazards has been reported in numerous post-disaster surveys. It is believed that global warming is changing the water level over the reef flat and reef surface roughness by sea-level rise and coral bleaching. For a better understanding of the influence of climate change on tsunami hazards over fringing reefs, this study utilized a shock-capturing

The paper covers the public debate on BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) between 2008 and 2018. Through a qualitative analysis of around 800 feature articles, editorials, and opinion pieces published in English, German, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian in news media and debates sections of scientific media, we highlight conspicuous aspects of the debate and relate them to the theoretical

(2019). Editorial. Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. i-iii.

The study explored the implications of environmental sanitation for three coastal livelihood activities, namely fishing, tourism and salt production. Qualitative data were collected from purposively selected respondents through key informant interviews and focus group discussions, and analysed using thematic and most significant stories approaches. The study found that sanitation affected livelihoods

Companies in the agri-food sector are under increasing pressure to adopt sustainable business models that consider not only economic but also both social and environmental aspects. This paper examines how Swedish food producers use sustainable business models to innovate their businesses. The empirical data comes from a telephone survey with 204 companies and from case studies of 4 companies. A conceptual

Karst rocky desertification (KRD) is a global environmental degradation problem caused by human activities and vegetation deterioration. Vegetation restoration in KRD is very difficult due to severe water loss, soil erosion and extensive bare bedrock. For achieving vegetation restoration on bare bedrock areas of KRD, the nutrient medium technique was developed, which is based on the special hydro-geological

This article describes how Circular Economy (CE) and Cradle to Cradle (C2C) can be used in university teaching to address these frameworks’ strengths and weaknesses in practice. The advantages of these frameworks for radical change are outlined, including their emphasis on upcycling rather than recycling (downcycling). This article discusses how students apply their understanding of transformative

The climate change adaptation field has evolved considerably in recent years. Important contributions have been made, with scholars developing methods for assessing vulnerability in different countries and communities, documenting broad strategies for adaptation and identifying opportunities for and barriers to adaptation as well as ways to enhance adaptive capacity. Issues of sustainability are, however

This study seeks insights into how biodiversity is framed and visualised in EU policy. The paper presents analysis of both the visual content and written text of two brochures summarising two central EU biodiversity policy documents. The study illustrates how the two modes of communication differ. First, the written text primarily presents an anthropocentric and economic framing of biodiversity values

It is innovative to account for the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) of underdeveloped regions such as Nanning city of China. Meanwhile, the ‘Global Protocol for Community-scale greenhouse gas emission inventories (GPC)’ has been considered a worldwide comparable framework for calculating urban CO2e emission (CE). So, the CEs of Nanning were calculated during 1994–2015 by the GPC methodology in this

This study offers a Choice Experiment (CE) analysis of geographical scope effects. About 500 stated preference surveys were conducted to estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) for nature protection in the Netherlands and the Caribbean Netherlands which became part of the Netherlands’ constitution just before the survey, providing a unique policy setting. Two version of the CE were implemented with a narrow

Expert organisations, such as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services (IPBES), have become increasingly important in global, regional, and local efforts to manage current environmental challenges. As producers of environmental knowledge assessments, these expert organisations are epistemic authorities in their field of expertise. To achieve and maintain epistemic

Economically, peatland plays an important role since they can be reclaimed for agriculture. Shallow peat (<100 cm) can be used to grow food crops including vegetables. Peatland has also become attractive for development of large-scale oil palm and rubber plantations. However, peatland has a number of constraints in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, especially CO2 emissions in the degraded peatland

Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) forest cover reduced by 9% from 1990 to 2015, affecting biodiversity, climate change mitigation and ecosystem service functionality. These losses are caused by a myriad of interconnected, interdependent and often socio-economic processes, which forest vulnerability metrics largely ignore in their assessments. To address this, we develop the Deforestation Vulnerability

Although there have been proven and successful developments in the field of Higher Education for Sustainable Development over the past 15 years or so, there are still numerous challenges to be overcome. Among these challenges is the need for Higher Education Institutions to improve the integration of sustainability in the curriculum and in research, and most importantly, to integrate it holistically

This research estimates the economic losses at the farm level caused by groundwater over-exploitation and by seawater intrusion. The problem of coastal groundwater salinity was tackled by considering its hydrological, agronomic and economic aspects. Economic analysis for competitive use vs. regulated management regimes was carried out, considering constant and adaptive watering techniques. We concentrate

Academia and industry increasingly recognise the need for multifunctional urban spaces. But how do we meet this need? Emerging responses point to the promise of transdisciplinarity. We critically reflect on this claim by analysing the role of transdisciplinary practice in the successful conversion of a Sydney laneway into a multifunctional urban space. We trace the co-existence of different disciplinary

The study investigated the vulnerability of Swaziland’s sugarcane small scale farmer associations (SSFAs) to climate change through the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. From a survey of 45 SSFAs, representing +2700 farmers, drought emerged as the most significant stress. Droughts result in failed cane germination, increased pests and increased diseases. Farmers indicated that there had no land title

The buoyancy of the minerals market, due to price and demand continually rising, maintains an increased interest for investors in mining. However, it is a sector particularly facing many negative environmental impacts, technical and environmental conditions to which are added the meeting of financial and production goals. Nevertheless in lockstep together, risk management of these extractive activities

Prior experience has shown to be a highly influencing factor for risk perceptions and behavioral patterns. Yet, often prior experience is connected to a personal threat and damage. We assume that people’s mere perception of nature changes, even if it is an impersonal risk and therefore not threatening humans but rather nature, is crucial for explaining effects in environmental and risk communication

We evaluated farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for efficient irrigation and improved water productivity with the economic benefits of sustainable use of resources in the long-run, while reducing irrigation-related problems in the GAP-Harran Plain, Turkey. The data come from a sample of 21,094 farmers; 461 of them were chosen via simple random sampling method and interviewed face to face. The Tobit

Environmental disputes often encompass both a conflict over the practical issue itself and, more fundamentally, a conflict over environmental worldviews (EWVs). In this study, a new two-dimensional tool has been created for measuring prevailing EWVs in individuals and organizations. Respondent’s place on the horizontal axis shows preference on an institutional scale where environmental issues should

Urban plannings and design processes, through land management, are important factors that significantly influence the distribution of urban green lands (UGLs), and thus, the provision of ecosystem services (ESs), thereby providing opportunities for managing climate adaptation processes at the local level. However, planning for UGLs is often secondary to other planning categories, and they often remain

Climate change has significant implications for biodiversity and ecosystems. With slow progress towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, climate engineering (or ‘geoengineering’) is receiving increasing attention for its potential to limit anthropogenic climate change and its damaging effects. Proposed techniques, such as ocean fertilization for carbon dioxide removal or stratospheric sulfate injections

Environmental educators distinguish between normative, instrumental and liberal approaches. This article offers anthropological insights into environmental education (EE) involving all three perspectives based on the discussion of indigenous culture within sustainable business course in The Netherlands. The case study described here uses ethnographic insights to illustrate the evolution of thought

Ambient air pollution has become one of the key issues in China because it is highly associated with economic development, energy consumption, the atmospheric environment, and public health. Ambient air quality standards are guidelines of environmental management and fundamentals of air pollution emission control. To adapt to the changing environmental situation, China’s ambient air quality standard

This study coins the “reality-worldview” framework to examine park-community conflicts arising from the expediency to protect the environmental integrity of a South African national park from bio-invasion. The study used remote sensing data to investigate the state of vegetation cover along the northern fringes of the park and an adjacent communal grazing area to determine differences in plant based

Agricultural emissions account for 53% of 2010 global non-CO2 emissions and are projected to increase substantially over the next 20 years, especially in Asia, Latin America and Africa. While agriculture is a substantial source of emissions, it is also generally considered to be a potential source of cost-effective non-CO2 GHG abatement. Previous “bottom-up” analyses provided marginal abatement cost

(2016). Climate action in Indian cities: an emerging new research area. Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences: Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 55-66.

(2015). Editorial Board. Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences: Vol. 12, Multi-level climate governance and the role of the subnational level, pp. ebi-ebi.

Germany strives to transition its energy supply system toward a high share of renewables, a development accompanied by an increasingly decentralized supply structure. The country’s energy strategy represents an influential top-down mechanism, but the process is also driven from the bottom up. The German federal states (Laender) experiment and innovate, and some explicitly strive to be forerunners in