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Rising temperatures linked to climate change are most likely responsible for steadily falling water levels in the Caspian Sea, a new study contends.
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Many countries would be glad to rid themselves of waste, but Prime Minister Rama says the country needs to import the stuff.
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In course of action, modern forces ought to be capable to safe living surroundings by the implementation of environmental protection into military planning and decision-making process. Traditionally it protects not only a location around military bases, training areas, but also in all operational area of deployed armed forces. This study therefore deals with methods of environmental protection and the so-called risk management to prevent damages that can't be remediated, both in the field of natural, cultural or historic sights and relicts.
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Research background: Stable and reliable access to a variety of energy carriers is undoubtedly a basis for the development of any economy. Therefore, the primary condition for the security of the state and its citizens is to ensure the essential minimum of energy on its territory. We can observe, however, an increasing dependence of the Polish energy sector on external sources.Purpose of the article: The aim of this paper is to examine and evaluate the economic aspects of the Polish energy security considering the fact of growing dependency on foreign supplies of energy carriers.Methods: In this paper we analyze the Polish energy security using several indicators: fuel/price efficiency ratio, energy intensity of the economy and Herfindahl-Hirschman rate of market concentration. For calculations we use statistical data provided by Energy Market Agency publications, including “Energy Situation in Poland” covering the years of 2000– 2015.Findings & value added: On the one hand, the Polish energy security depends on its internal conditions and resources - in this context, the available resources of coal and lignite play an extremely positive role because they provide access to a reliable source of energy. On the other hand, Poland is becoming dependent on external commitments that restrict the free use of domestic resources, thus lowering the energy security of the country, speaking in particular of oil and natural gas resources. The analysis carried out in this paper will allow to evaluate the effectiveness of using various energy carriers with respect to their price, market structure and geopolitical conditions.
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Source of radioactive cloud that spread as far as France in September has not yet been identified.
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This article is an analysis of new regulations about protection of green areas and shrubs contained in the Nature Conservatory Act. Amendments to the Act, liberalized regulations for disposal of trees and shrubs, empowering landlords to the removal of trees and bushes without permission. Without any doubts, those green areas are public goods impossible to be multiplied. They are part of the natural heritage, moreover, fulfill various functions – recreation, health, aesthetic, also play a significant role in maintaining biodiversity, creating refuges for a large number of species of plants and animals. The new provisions of the Nature Conservatory Act seem to be ill-conceived from the point of view of the effects that can cause in the human environment.
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This article deals with the subject of spatial conflicts in metropolitan areas. It examines potential conflicts which are understood as a set of spatial and functional phenomena resulting from spatial planning policies carried out by local governments. The main aim of the research conducted as part of this article was to identify potential conflicts in spatial planning. The practical goal of this paper is to propose a method of identifying spatial conflicts and make recommendations for landscape policies and draw up planning studies on the local level. The choice of methodology was based on the assumption that spatial conflicts occur predominantly on the borders between various communes. The main research material were analyses of conditions and trends in spatial development planning.
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Community hygiene conditions and equipment represent significant indicators of the quality management of green areas. As a space of exceptional importance for protection of forest complex and biodiversity in an urban environment, Zvezdara forest is placed under protection as a natural monument by an act of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade, where measures of environmental protection and preservation of this area, as one of the most important green areas in this part of the city, are also defined (wind protection role, enrichment of the air with oxygen, thermoregulation, etc.), but as well as a space for sports, recreation, picnics. This research presents the community hygiene problems (“illegal landfills”, lack of garbage cans, hydrants, public toilets and drinking fountains, etc.) and environmental issues (“wild” construction, landslides, etc.). The aim of this research is the recommendations of environmental protection measures and removal of community hygiene and environmental issues, presented in the final part of this research paper, which could be used in the future during preparation of planning documents, in order to achieve better environmental management in the area of Zvezdara forest.
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The paper analysis the contents of Geography textbooks which refer to the problems of the protection of the environment. The last publications of Geography textbooks for primary and secondary schools of the Zavod za udžbenike i nastavna sredstva (Belgrade) were used as a sample. With this study we wanted to check at what extent the contents of the environmental protection are present in the contemporary Geography textbooks and how much they contribute to the formation of the system of ecologic knowledge and ecologic conscience of students with their structure. The analysis has showed that the problems of the environmental protection in the analyzed textbooks are not present enough, that they are mostly covered in integrative way, sporadically and declaratively. Undefined ecologic concepts are twice as much presented as defined. The explanations of notions are more often supported by examples than by factographic data, although the number of examples is insufficient. Especially, the examples from close surroundings are missing. With their structure, the present contents do not provide knowledge on numerous problems on the protection of the environment and they do not influence the development of ecologic attitudes, emotions and habits in students. Practical implications of the study are shown in the way that the results and conclusions can stimulate the authors of textbooks to change the approach in planning the contents of the future Geography textbooks...
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One of the greatest environmental problems in the Republic of Macedonia is accelerated soil erosion caused by high human impact during last centuries on to the susceptible landscape. Natural factors itself are very suitable for development of such erosion: from mostly erodible rocks and soils on the mountainous slopes around the depressions, to the generally continental, semi-arid climate and slight vegetation cover. Because of that, there are sites with severe erosion and deposition like those in the catchments of Kamenichka River and Radanjska River, two torrential tributaries of Bregalnica. In these catchments there are varieties of erosion-related landforms: rills, gullies, badlands, landslides, as well as valley-type alluvial fans and huge alluvial plains. Such devastating accelerated erosion and deposition largely transformed original landscape, and represent significant environmental, social, and economic problem in local areas. Because of that, some measures of protection and conservation were taken from 1950-ties in both catchments. But it is obvious that the final effect of these measures is far of enough, so new efforts must be implemented to revitalizing these abandoned lands.
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In a few decades backwards in the city of Kraljevo occur certain problems with water quality, as well as with water supply. Based on the analysis of the present environmental state, the authors identified certain influences on the quality of the surface and ground water. Considering significant quantity of water recourses on this territory, as well as its threatened quality, it is necessary to pay attention much more on the problem of the pollution and protection of the surface and ground water.
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Food constitutes the basic human need. Without food it is impossible to meet other needs. Southeast Asia – with its growing population, deteriorating environmental conditions, exposure to climate change and rapid economic development – is particularly exposed to its negative consequences. This analysis is based on the assumption that single states cannot achieve food security without some degree of international cooperation. The goal of the paper is to analyze the changing paradigms of food security governance in Southeast Asia and identify opportunities and constraints to regional food security governance in the ASEAN context.
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Environmental monitoring involves environmental quality studies, observation and assessment of the environment's condition, and the changes taking place within it. The analysis accounts for sources of linear, surface, and point emission that have an adverse impact on the environment through pollutants. Point source emissions mainly represented by power plants spread harmful substances even for several dozen kilometers. Dispersion modeling is used to track atmospheric pollutants and to plan future emission sources, minimizing their impact on the environment. One of the newest modeling methods is the Lagrange model, currently used in Germany in AustalView software. The article presents the stages of the calculation of atmospheric dispersion of pollutants, according to German standards based on the example of the Schkopau power plant in Germany. This makes it possible to analyze the degree of air pollution depending on the distance from the source, and the information obtained may be useful for locating newly designed power plants through the location system, where the highest pollutant concentrations are recorded.
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Waste disposal is a global challenge, particularly in the context of environmental pollution prevention and human health protection. That is the reason why the European Union has been adopting and applying a series of documents pertinent to this issue. The most relevant are: Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on Waste and Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the Landfill of Waste. However, the reports of the European Commission and the practice of the Court of Justice of the European Union confirm that there are numerous disparities between the Member States regarding the implementation of standards of waste management in general and in particular, waste disposal. The Republic of Serbia has to make substantial improvements in the area of waste disposal, especially in the context of the upcoming opening of the Negotiation Chapter 27, dedicated to the environment and climate change. Therefore, the authors analyse legal sources of the European Union related to waste disposal, reports on their application and relevant practice of the Court of Justice of the European Union as potential directions and guidelines.
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Zainteresowanie zagadnieniem bezpieczeństwa ekologicznego służy skoncentrowaniu naszej uwagi na zagrożeniach wywołanych przez niewłaściwe użytkowanie dobra, jakim jest środowisko naturalne. Bezpieczeństwo ekologiczne stanowi jeden z ważkich elementów funkcjonowania społeczeństwa na poziomie danego kraju jak również w skali globalnej. Jest tym bardziej istotne, bowiem możemy zaobserwować wciąż rosnące zagrożenia dla środowiska wywoływane zarówno przez klęski naturalne, jak również przez działanie zakładów przemysłowych, w których brak odpowiedniego przestrzegania norm prawa ochrony środowiska może wywołać, czę- sto trudno odwracalne, szkody w środowisku. Współwystępowanie tychże zagrożeń jest przedmiotem nauki o bezpieczeństwie ekologicznym1 . Z uwagi na wspomniane czynniki wpływające na poziom bezpieczeństwa ekologicznego można powiedzieć o jego dwóch nurtach. Pierwszy z nich dotyczy konieczności działań na rzecz zmniejszenia lub też całkowitej likwidacji zagrożeń spowodowanych przez skażenia oraz dewastację środowiska, a więc działania w głównej mierze wywoływane przez działalność przemysłową, drugi zaś wskazuje na potrzebę ochrony przed naturalnymi czynnikami przyrodniczymi, które mogą stanowić zagrożenie dla bezpieczeństwa człowieka.
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Russian atomic regulator's foray into meme-making fails to quench rumors of nuclear leaks. From Global Voices.
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Suggested the new approach to the assessment of environmental risk deterioration of water ecosystems to prioritize the implementation of environmental protection measures. Qualitative analysis of the state of the Siret River Basin in the Ternopil region based on the environmental and of environmental risk index.
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Water is an essential element of life. This is the reason why water has made the object of some fundamental reflexions in the field of religion, philosophy, mythology, and sciences. In the present paper we intend to make a short analysis of the reasons why water is considered the essence of life, but also of the reason why water should be treated as an objective of national, European and global security. Reflecting on the importance of water, we identified five essential levels on which it can be analysed: individual, local, national, European and global levels.
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Unlikely activist does her own research into the effects of coal-fired power plants and ends up informing the nation.
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