Suchergebnisse

The paper examines the exposure of mountain creeks towards illegal waste disposal practices related to the lack of waste collection services in rural areas of Romania prior to EU accession and the low waste collection efficiency following the closure of rural wild dumps in 2009-2010. The paper estimates the amounts of household waste uncollected and disposed in selected small Carpathian rivers in the North-East development region. The expansion of built-up areas along the water courses leads to waste dumping practices across mountain villages in the context of poor waste management facilities. Particular morphology of villages and hydrological characteristics of the creeks may influence the magnitude of such bad practices. The paper points out the role of flash floods in cleaning upstream catchments from debris, thus, polluting the downstream rivers and human settlements. An efficient waste collection system in mountain areas has a crucial role to play in mitigating and ultimately preventing the waste dumping practices in water bodies.

The author argues that sustainability of a global environment depends on implementation of current knowledge & capacities to manage the transition to a sustainable future. A historical account of a paradigm shift away from Baconian attitudes about nature is evidenced by international environmental conferences, but evidence shows that human's increased capacity to manage the environment has not been matched by the will to do so. The author argues that governance is our greatest challenge to manage issues such as water & food security, & that all expert sources need to adopt systemic, integrated & multi-disciplinary approaches for the transition to sustainability. Suggestions are offered for a system of governance advocating greater involvement of civil society, & the role of the UN in global commons issues. References. J. Harwell

The authors trace the history of the depletion of soil fertility in Europe & North America from 1830 to 1870 & expand to current concerns about the effect of synthetic fertilizers on the environment. Nations searched throughout the world for sources of natural fertilizers such as guano, developed a soil science, introduced synthetic fertilizers, & saw the rise of environmental groups who demanded sustainable methods. The development of the fertilizer industry & the intense use of synthetic fertilizers in the mid-20th century appeared to solve the fertility problem until people became aware of the ecological damage these fertilizers were causing. Current problems include the huge amounts of energy required to produce, ship, & apply fertilizers; pollution of groundwater & surface water by synthetic fertilizers; the mixture of industrial pollutants with potentially helpful urban sewage sludges; lack of crop rotation; the cruel, unhealthy conditions under which animals are raised; & environmental damage caused by the mining of nutrients. The need for an ecologically sound relationship between people & the soil is recognized. L. A. Hoffman

The author asserts that current changes in the agricultural structure have abandoned the internal resources practices of previous decades & are leading toward an environmental crisis. As farms have been absorbed into the international economy, the need for crop rotation & recycling of matter has been replaced with large-scale use of pesticides & synthetic fertilizers. Crop monocultures are creating vulnerable ecosystems that need high chemical input. Environmental problems could be described as arriving in two waves. The first, the overuse or improper use of pesticides & synthetic fertilizers has damaged soil & water, & public health has been impacted. The second wave involves the use of biotechnology, which supposedly will genetically modify plants to reduce the need for chemicals. Potential problems include worldwide single products that reduce genetic diversity; the possible transfer of genetic changes to plant relatives to create super weeds; pests developing resistances to the genetically engineered protections; & the unintentional damaging of beneficial insects. The author suggests alternative practices for insect control & fertilization, acknowledges the barriers to implementation of these practices, & encourages change. L. A. Hoffman

Household waste generated is often uncolleted in rural areas causing various types of pollution like: air and water pollution, soil pollution and the aesthetic degradation of the landscape. The environmental legislation proposed by the European Union was transposed on the national legislation but the implementation process was difficult because of particular situations encountered in practice. Rudimentary infrastructure of waste management and limited access to waste collection services lead to uncontrolled household waste disposal. In this context, the geographical location of rural settlements influences the way of waste disposal either on river banks or open dumps placed on roadsides or forest areas with various environmental implications. Those, forest areas in the proximity of human settlements or recreation areas become vulnerable to waste pollution. Even if local authorities are obliged to provide waste collection facilities since July 16, 2009 the illegal dumping of waste in forests is still present. This situation is reflected by field observations from Suceava and Neamț counties. Usually forest areas affected by uncontrolled waste disposal are located in hilly regions or subcarpathian areas. The degradation of these areas is visible and this can have a negative influence not only on the environment but also on tourism activities.