Vig, Chap. 1-3
Rahm, Chap. ?
Selected Articles (available on CANVAS)
Broad participation by Stakeholder Groups in policy formation
Incorporates short- and long-term goals of society at large
Based on sound technical information
Feasible and effective for solving identified problems
Aligned with priority objectives, including ecological sustainability
What constitutes an effective environmental policy?
Are all stakeholders equally vested?
Who determines the rights of stakeholders?
Who should pay for past environmental damage?
What are some of the stages of environmental awareness?
How can we compensate for environmental racism?
What are the most compelling global environmental issues?
How can systems thinking help us in developing sustainability?
What is "natural capital"?
How can we better incorporate sustainability into our business and economic systems?
Vig, Chap. 8,9
Buchholz, Chap. 2
Kubasek, Chap. 10
Ecosystem Theory and Major Ecological Principles
Ecological Research and Environmental Protection
Energy Flow and Efficiency
Pathways and Fates of Environmental Pollutants
Biodiversity and Sustainability
Global Viewpoints & International Environmental Issues
THE THREE GORGES DAM AND ENDANGERED REDWOODS IN CHINA
Hong Yang, Ph.D.
Governmental decisions play an important role in national and local environmental policies and therefore have a great impact on environmental protection strategies and research approaches. The Three Gorges Dam currently under construction on the Yangzte River (Changjiang) in central China and its impact on endangered species in the vicinity provide a case example. My ongoing research on endangered Dawn Redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboidies Hu and Cheng, Taxodiaceae), a Chinese equivalent of the California redwood species, further highlights some of these issues.
The Yangzte River, flowing from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the Eastern China Sea, is the third longest river in the world. Along its nearly 4,000 mile course, the water from Yangtze carved beautiful scenery, nourished wildlife, transports commerce, irrigates farmland, and supports the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people. However, throughout the long Chinese history, the mighty Yangtze has also been viewed as a naughty dragon with a devastating force causing property damage and claiming thousands of lives with its powerful floods. An effort to subdue the dragon has been the dream of Chinese leaders of several generations.
After years of hesitation, discussion, and preparation, the Chinese government finally launched the controversial Three Gorges Dam Project last year. Known as the biggest project in China since the construction of the Great Wall, the Three Gorges Dam is projected to take 17 years to complete with a price tag of $30 to $75 billion dollars. While the construction of the dam has started, the scientific debates have no sign of an ending (Xiong, 1998). The government claims that the 607-ft-high dam will have 18,200 megawatts capacity and can generate a yearly output of 84.7 billion kwh (equivalent of burning 50 million tons of coal or 25 million tons of crude oil), which will fuel the rapid economic development in southern China. Behind the 1.2-mile wide dam, the world largest man-made lake will stretch nearly 400 miles long. It should improve navigation in the river, and more importantly, gain an upper hand on flood control.
However, these benefits come with a price. Critics are quick to point out that the project not only has to relocate 1.2 million people (the relocation is almost completed by now) but the dam will also be likely to face serious sedimentation problems. With the huge reservoir created, thousands of archeological sites will vanish, along with the beauty of the three gorges (Zich, 1997). Furthermore, what cannot be estimated is the environmental consequences of this project. While the hydropower helps to alleviate air pollution due to burning fossil fuels, negative effects such as natural habitat loss, changes in the food web, alteration of local climate, and biodiversity loss, is anyone’s guess. Among thousands of wildlife species in the region, some of them are highly endangered. Clearly, a better understanding of the current status and close monitoring of these endangered species throughout the construction of the dam are necessary. Here is where my research fits in. Along with my Chinese colleagues, I am trying to assess the genetic diversity of the Dawn Redwood before, during, and after the dam construction.
The Dawn Redwood is the giant panda in the plant kingdom: a living fossil that can be traced back to the geological history of 100 million years (Merrill, 1991). Currently, there are only 5,000 wild trees survived within about 800-kilometer squares in the junction among Sichuan, Hubei, and Hunan Provinces, close to the Three Gorges Dam site. Our research has been focused on the following:
Study of its ancient history based on fossil and geological records
Monitoring the condition of wild Metasequoia trees
Assessment of its morphological variation based on SEM observation of their cuticle micro-morphology
Analysis of its genetic diversity at the population level using state of art DNA technology
Recent examinations indicated that despite their limited numbers and restricted geographic distribution, the wild population of Metasequoia maintains a moderate diversity both at the morphological and molecular level (Yang, in press). It is our hope that the magnificent trees will be little influenced by the construction project and will remain healthy after the reservoir is created.
When governmental decisions are based on multi-factors, scientists have their responsibility to provide up-to-date scientific data that hopefully can become the basis on which governments can make sound policies and decisions.
References
Xiong, L., 1998. Going against the flow in China. Science, 280:24-26.
Zich, A., 1997. China's three gorges before the flood. National Geographic, 192:8-33.
Merrill, E.D., 1991. Metasequoia, another "living fossil." Arnoldia - The Magazine of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 51:12-16.
Yang, H. (in press). From fossils to molecules: the Metasequoia tale continues. Arnoldia - The Magazine of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 1999.
What is an ecosystem? A food web?
How do materials move through ecosystems?
How does biomagnification occur?
What do pesticides and mercury and radionuclides have in common?
Why are we so concerned about biotic diversity?
What does energy have to do with environmental quality?
What is the POET concept?
Kubasek, Chap. 9
Buchholz, Chap. 3,4
Public Policy Process - U.S. model
Executive, Legislative and Judicial Roles
The Legislative Process
The Legal Structure and Regulatory Framework
U.S. Federal Government
Branches of State Government & Agencies
Local Government - Structure & Oversight Processes
What is the basic structure of U.S. government?
Which federal government agencies regulate the environment?
What roles do state governments play in regulation?
What roles are reserved for local government? Why?
How can citizens interact with government?
What is the basic structure of the Belarusian government?
To what degree is the environment protected in Belarus?
What special problems exist in Belarus and other NIS regions?
Vig, Chap. 9,11
Buchholz, Chaps. 5-11,
Case Study, p. 413
Global Atmospheric Pollution (greenhouse gases, stratospheric ozone, acid deposition, mercury transport)
Ocean Pollution (fisheries decline, coral reef damage)
Toxic Waste Accumulation (health and safety issues, cost of cleanup)
Natural Resource Loss & Degradation (deforestation, soil erosion, water pollution)
Improper Land Use Practices (loss of wetlands, erosion and sedimentation)
Overpopulation (malnutrition, poverty, disease, desertification)
Why has air pollution worsened in spite of tight regulations?
Are "pollution credits" the answer to global air quality?
What are the main types of water pollution? In the U.S., Belarus, China, Africa? Have we made any progress?
How do oceans get polluted? Economic effects on fisheries?
Whose responsibility is it to protect tropical rainforests?
Do trees have rights?
Why don't we utilize good land use practices, when we know so well how to do it?
How can we make a dent in world population growth?
Vig, Chap. 12
Kubasek, Chap. 9
Buchholz, Case Study p. 416 & p. 428
Environmental Technology (pollution cleanup and/or avoidance
Computerized Modeling and Simulation
GIS Mapping Techniques
Groundwater Monitoring and Cleanup Technologies
Building Design Modifications for Conserving Energy and Improving Health
JIT and Energy Implications
Materials Management (Reuse, Recycle, Disassemble)
Waste Exchange Networks
In-situ Bioremediation: Can we help nature destroy the contaminants that we continue to spill?
By Dan L. McNally
The use of microorganisms to transform contaminants to non-toxic products has been practiced in wastewater treatment since the early 1900's. Much of the knowledge applied to the development of in-situ bioremediation was gained from this wastewater treatment process.
Primarily because of the high transportation, storage, and disposal costs of conventional treatment technologies, in-situ bioremediation is growing in interest and has been the focus of considerable research as an innovative technology. Transformation or destruction of contaminants in-place also is safer for workers and nearby residents, and may lead to quicker site restoration. However, acceptance and use of in-situ bioremediation has been slow. The inability to control, monitor, and assess is the primary reason. Coupling microbial processes, contaminants in the subsurface, and the existing site conditions is a very complicated process.
In-situ bioremediation can be intrinsic or engineered. An intrinsic system only monitors remediation progress. It is applied when bioremediation can take place naturally, and a risk-based assessment indicates there is no urgent need for site cleanup. Engineered systems are designed to enhance bioremediation. Some of these systems involve air sparging, bioventing, nutrient and electron acceptor addition, bioaugmentation, groundwater re-circulation, and land treatment (bio farming).
Although a wide range of contaminants is potentially biodegradable, in-situ bioremediation has been most successfully applied to petroleum hydrocarbons (fuels and refinery wastes), wood preserving wastes (creosote), and chlorinated solvents (PCE and TCE). It is not generally applicable to metal-contaminated sites, but may mobilize or immobilize various metals through uptake or sorption processes.
Bioremediation, like any technology proposed for site cleanup, must first be approved by government regulators who ultimately must be convinced that the technology has a reasonable chance to reduce the contaminants to acceptable levels. Regulators look at preliminary data to determine if the proposed treatment technology will reduce contaminate concentrations in the soil and water to legally mandated limits. This information is sometimes difficult to provide when proposing in-situ bioremediation.
Further research is warranted to fully realize the potential of in-situ bioremediation. Without a thorough understanding of the factors affecting its successful application, it may not be fully efficient and cost effective. But as more is discovered about its applicability, control and management, optimization, and limitations, in situ bioremediation may become a highly effective treatment technology.
How do we pick the most effective technology for a given problem?
How much should society pay for cleanup? Who should pay? How do we raise the money needed?
When does Nimbyism go too far? How will we site needed facilities?
Are risk assessment techniques accurate enough?
Will the environmental cleanup business sector continue to grow?
How can we increase technology transfer to less wealthy nations?
Kubasek, Chap. 4,5,6,7,8
Vig, Chap. 4-7 & Appendix 1
Major U.S. Federal Laws
Issues Surrounding the Crafting of These Laws
(see lecture notes for specific laws)
Right to Know Provisions
"Polluter Pays" Concept
Reauthorization and Amendment Process
State Oversight (e.g., Wetlands Protection; Coastal Zone Management Plans)
Local Ordinances (e.g., Land Use Zones, Aquifer Protection)
International Environmental Conventions & Agreements
U.S. Government Web Sites of Interest
Selected Web Sites
What are the major U.S. environmental laws at the federal level?
What was unusual about Section 208, Public Participation in the Clean Water Act?
Why is the reauthorization process so important?
Why are so many US-EPA regulations administered by state agencies?
What role do cities play in regulating the environment? In the U.S.? In Belarus?
How do pollution credits aid in cleaning the air? Is this a cost-effective method to address air pollution?
Why is the Superfund law (CERCLA) so difficult to administer?
What are the major international agreements that protect the environment?
Buchholz, Chap. 14
Selected Web Sites
Closed System Materials Management
Waste Minimization and Toxics Reduction (reuse, recycling, resource recovery)
Effective Environmental/Economic Strategies (Ecoloeconomics)
Integrated Resources Management (IRM) Model
Principles of Natural Capitalism
Natural Step Approach
If not sustainability, then what? Are humans suicidal?
What are some of the new trends in industry that support the concept of sustainability?
What are some examples of corporations that approach environmental responsibility seriously?
What role can ISO certification play in moving the sustainability agenda forward more rapidly?
How important are World Environmental conferences?
Are NGOs the only ones that care about environmental protection?
Kubasek, Chap. 2
Vig, Chap. 10
Buchholz, Chap. 12-13; Case Study, p. 419, 423
Optimizing Productivity (safer workplaces, energy efficient manufacturing)
Risk Management Techniques
Reducing Environmental Liability/Embracing Sustainability
Avoiding Litigation
Marketing the Green Image
Achieving ISO certifications
Is it more cost-effective for businesses to protect than to pollute?
Should we be suspicious of a "green image?"
How important is ISO certification?
Are healthier employees better workers?
Is your "right to know" one of the basic human rights?
Kubasek, Chap. 9
Buchholz, Case Study, p. 431
Citizen Advocacy Groups
Private/Public Partnerships
Key Environmental Organizations (U.S. and International)
Overcoming Obstacles to Effective Communication
Conflict Resolution
What can YOU do to make a difference?
Who were some of the women who pioneered in environmental advocacy?
Do public/private partnerships work? For which stakeholders?
How can we improve conflict resolution? Does an angry public signal a breakdown in public policy?
What are the main NGOs protecting the environment? In the U.S.? In Belarus? Other places?
Vig, Chap. 14-15
Kubasek, Chap. 11
Sustainable Development
New Technology
Resource Conservation
Rethinking Government
Local and Regional Planning
Corporations as Global Citizens
Societal Ethics
Technology Assessments
Pollution Prevention (P2) Training
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Training
Energy Audits & Conservation Opportunities
Renewable Energy Technology Training
Sustainability Workshops
Materials Management Techniques
Technology Matching
Where do we go from here? Will it get worse before it gets better?
Will we invent new gadgets to fix what's broken? Is technology the answer?
Will less government mean a cleaner environment? Or the reverse?
What lessons can Belarus learn from the U.S. saga of environmental protection? What can we learn from the NIS?
Can a future Chernobyl type accident be prevented?
Will the millennium be characterized by ecological sustainability?
What ethical responsibility do we have for future generations?
What models should we adopt to better reflect stakeholder views in environmental policy making?