Urban environmental problems and planning strategies in Tropical Africa: The example of Nigeria

Although various social and economic problems associated with urban development in Tropical Africa have received considerable attention by social scientists, less attention has been paid to the physical problems. The paper outlines the relationship between urban environmental problems in Tropical Africa and the processes of urban development in the region. The paper shows that the urban environmental problems of Tropical Africa are mainly associated with the process of uncontrolled urban settlement, the poverty of a large proportion of urban dwellers and the discriminatory housing policy of many countries in the region.With specific reference to Nigeria, the paper characterizes the urban environmental problems of Tropical Africa. These include poor housing quality, bad layout of streets, poor drainage, lack of facilities for solid waste disposal and water pollution. Finally, the paper suggests some strategies for ameliorating the urban environmental problems in Nigeria.     

河北张家口矿山地质环境问题及生态修复治理对策

张家口市矿产资源丰富,是河北省矿产资源大市之一。由于矿产资源的不合理开发利用,引发了各种各样的矿山地质环境问题,矿山地质环境保护与恢复治理任务十分艰巨。张家口战略地位十分独特,既是北京的主要饮用水源地,又是西部和北部风沙侵入京津的两条通道,张家口的生态环境严重影响和决定着首都北京的生态环境。京津冀协同发展、建设“首都水源涵养功能区和生态环境支撑区”和北京市携手张家口承办“2022年冬奥会”的3个重大历史机遇,也倒逼张家口必须尽快修复和治理各类矿山环境地质问题,促进张家口转型升级、绿色崛起。通过分析张家口矿产资源利用现状和主要的矿山地质环境问题分类,从矿山地质环境管理、生态修复治理的政策、思路、资金渠道和技术方法方面为矿山环境修复治理提供了对策。     

环境岩土工程学研究的几个理论问题探讨

分析了环境岩土工程学的基本概念与研究领域,研究了环境岩土工程问题的类型划分及与其他相关学科的关系,简要论述了环境岩土工程的研究现状,并对我国环境岩土工程的未来进行了展望。     

公路建设环境保护问题探讨

结合基础设施建设对环境造成的负面影响已成社会关注焦点这一现象,分析了公路建设对环境产生的负面影响,并从细部和总体两方面探讨了公路建设中的环境保护措施,以期促进公路建设中的环保问题得到圆满解决。     

矿山环境问题解决模式研究

对矿山环境问题进行了分析、调查、评价，提出了矿山环境问题的治理措施，强调了科学管理矿山环境信息数据的重要性，指出应加强新技术在矿山环境问题中的应用力度，以实现矿山环境保护与治理的良性循环。     

Geotechnical and environmental problems of the Niger delta

This paper examines the geotechnical and environmental problems arising from the peculiar characteristics (topography, geology, soil types including their properties and their areal distribution) of the Niger Delta area. The area is characterised by the widespread and irregular distribution of weak soils whose strength is further reduced by the presence of expansive clays. This causes foundation problems in roads, houses and embankments. Excavations are unstable because they are either made in very permeable sands which are subject to enormous seepage pressures or in weak, fat clays of low shear strength. Environmental problems include flooding, poor water quality and excessive river bank erosion and recession. While the surface waters are very turbid due to high clay and silt content the ground waters are very acidic (pH 4.5–5.5) and contain high proportions of nitrates, ammonia and chlorides which contaminate aquifers especially in the coastal and central portions of the delta area. River bank failure and recession of up to 2 to 3 m occur annually and continue to pose an enormous threat to the villages along the river banks.     

Comparison of anthropological and “natural” input of substances through waters into Adriatic, Baltic and Black Sea

BOD₅, COD, total suspended solids, total nitrogen, phosphates, surface active substances, detergents, mineral oils, phenols, PAH, Zn, Ni, Cr, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd and Hg annual loading for the Adriatic Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea through wastewater and “natural” waters have been estimated. The quantities of “natural” waters, which are several orders of magnitude higher than the anthropological ones, the expected “natural” loading of substances considered here highly exceeds annually, weak reflections on the natural concentration increase in the whole sea system have been observed. This is essentially due to enormous quantities of suspended matter, and highest pollution is registered in the narrowest littoral zone. The present pollution has ecological implications primarily on the enchanted point-source spots. Comparison of the results for these closed seas reveals that the Adriatic sea has the smallest loading taken absolutely and relatively considering its volume, while the Black Sea, and particularly the Baltic Sea, have significantly higher loading.     

建筑装修中的环保问题

论述了由于建筑装修不当所导致的各种环境问题，包括室内氨气，甲醛，苯，氡的污染，石材的放射性污染，分析了室内装修中的种种误区，提出了防治建筑装修污染的有效方法，以及环保型装饰装修材料的应用及其发展前景。     

环保疏浚泥处理工程泥性质变化规律及问题分析

以中国通济桥水库环保疏浚及泥处理利用工程作为典型案例,研究在工程过程中泥的物理、化学性质变化规律,同时也分析了疏浚泥饼的力学性质。基于对泥的基本性质分析,梳理了该典型工程在疏浚、处理及利用中存在的关键问题：疏浚泥浆浓度低;泥浆浓缩效率低;疏浚与泥浆处理工效不匹配;处理后泥饼碱性高等。这些问题同样也是中国河湖库底泥疏浚、处理及利用中存在的共性问题,问题的梳理为该领域的科研及施工人员提供指导及借鉴。     

Children's ideas about the environmental impact of cars: a cross age study

The ideas of children about the environmental impact of vehicle emissions have been explored using a precoded questionnaire. The children were from British National Curriculum Years 7 (age 11/12 years), 9 (age 13/14) and 11 (age 15/16). Even in the oldest group only about half of the children appreciated the advantages of smaller, well‐maintained cars; this could have practical implication if not corrected in the adult population. Children seemed well aware of the environmental problems, smog, Acid Rain and Global Warming, to which vehicle emissions contribute, but these are part of an over‐generalised model which children employ in which cars are envisaged as contributing to other problems such as Ozone Layer depletion. We suggest that the use of the generic term ‘pollution’ to describe a wide range of environmental insults and the use of the word ‘environment’ in a non‐defined way might hinder children's differentiation of the different causes of separate environmental problems. The gaps in children's knowledge of the different components of vehicle emissions may reflect and exacerbate this difficulty. Ironically, children have a regard for the environmental and an interest in cars, and a combination of these enthusiasms may provide an opportunity for environmental education and curriculum science teaching.     

Municipal solid waste management and practices in coastal cities of the Eastern Black Sea: a case study of Trabzon City, NE Turkey

Each day some 400–450 ton solid waste is dumped on land and in the sea and rivers in the coastal cities of the eastern Black Sea, creating serious environmental problems. The paper reports the engineering geological studies of a proposed landfill site for Trabzon, a major city in the region. Fieldwork included scan-line and seismic surveys as well as boreholes and in-situ testing. Water absorption tests indicated permeabilities in the order of 10⁻⁸ m/s.      

城市边缘区环境特点及存在问题的思考

简单介绍了城市边缘区的作用，结合城市边缘区的环境特征，阐述了环境问题的表现，分析了造成城市边缘区环境污染的因素，并提出了解决问题的措施，以促进城市边缘区的发展，进而更好地推动城市化进程。     

泗顶矿区环境岩土工程问题及对策研究

从景观、水资源、土地资源等方面分析了泗顶矿区存在的主要岩土工程问题,阐述了泗顶矿区三大场地及塌陷地的环境岩土工程特点,在此基础上提出了环境恢复治理对策,从而减少地质灾害,改善生态环境.     

Role of newspapers in creating mass concern with environmental issues in India

The present study has been undertaken with the objective of assessing the role of Indian newspapers in creating mass concern with environmental issues. The content analysis of three leading national English dailies revealed that these newspapers publish news items, editorials and articles on environmental issues of local, national and international interest. They brought into focus specific environmental problems in sufficient intensity with scope and time. A survey was conducted to obtain opinions of individuals about the extent of role of Indian newspapers in arousing popular interest by way of disseminating information about the environmental problems. The response strongly suggests a limited role of the Indian press in creating mass concern with environmental issues. Various reasons for the unsuccessful performance of the press have been presented. Two mass media‐public interaction models are also discussed in light of their value for the environmental problems of India.     

Welfare economics and environmental problems

This paper sets out to place the subject matter of environmental management in a context wider than that traditionally used by economists. This traditional context is defined by the use of “neoclassical” welfare economics which, in its modern form, has been revived in the form of cost‐benefit analysis. The authors establish that this framework neglects the overall functions of the ecosystem as a life‐support system and argue that the partial nature of welfare economics assessments of environmental programmes will cause a neglect of the “ ecodimension” effects. They propose a model in which ecological impacts are integrated into the standard economic model, securing results which differ considerably from those of the latter approach. In particular, they show that consideration of ecological effects dictates much stricter environmental standards than would otherwise be the case.     

Assessment of complex environmental health problems: Framing the structures and structuring the frameworks

Many environmental risks are multi-faceted and their health consequences can be far-ranging in both time and space. It can be a challenging task to develop informed policies for such risks. Integrated environmental health impact assessment aims to support policy by assessing environmental health effects in ways that take into account the complexities and uncertainties involved. For such assessment to be successful, a clear and agreed conceptual framework is needed, which defines the issue under consideration and sets out the principles on which the assessment is based. Conceptual frameworks facilitate involvement of stakeholders, support harmonized discussions, help to make assumptions explicit, and provide a framework for data analysis and interpretation.Various conceptual frameworks have been developed for different purposes, but as yet no clear taxonomy exists. We propose a three-level taxonomy of conceptual frameworks for use in environmental health impact assessment. At the first level of the taxonomy, structural frameworks show the wide context of the issues at hand. At the second level, relational frameworks describe how the assessment variables are causally related. At the third level, this causal structure is translated into an operational model, which serves as a basis for analysis. The different types of frameworks are complementary and all play a role in the assessment process. The taxonomy is illustrated using a hypothetical assessment of urban brownfield development for residential uses.We suggest that a better understanding of types of conceptual frameworks and their potential roles in the different phases of assessment will contribute to more informed assessments and policies.     

谈公路施工中环保问题的分析及防治措施

对公路工程施工中的环境问题进行了介绍,分析了造成公路施工中环境污染的原因,并着重阐述了公路建设施工中对噪声污染、水污染、空气污染等问题的防治措施,以期通过科学管理及先进技术,进一步完善和提高公路建设环保质量。     

Climatic effect in the formation of vernacular houses in the Eastern Black Sea region

Climate is one of the many factors such as socio-cultural structure, economy, materials, and technology that influence architectural forms. The resolutions that exist as a result of the effect of climate on architecture differ according to regions, cultures, time and technology. The climate in the Eastern Black Sea region, which lies in the north of Turkey, plays an active role in the formation and diversity of the vernacular houses in the region. Climatic factors such as rain, wind, humidity and sunlight in the region, which has a warm-humid climate and which gets excessive rain, have different effects on the spaces, elements and annexes of the vernacular houses. This study explains climatic approaches that are evident in the architecture of the vernacular houses in the Eastern Black Sea region. The aim of this study is to give information about the vernacular architecture in the Eastern Black Sea region and to investigate the relationship between the architectural products and the climate that plays a very important role in the formation of this architecture. Thus, the effects of climatic factors, such as rain, wind, humidity and sunlight, on vernacular houses are explained in the topics as plan, external walls, roof and exterior of buildings.     

Cognitive styles and environmental problem‐solving

Although professionals and experts receive training that is thought to be appropriate for the tasks awaiting them, recent research has shown that their problem solving behaviour is greatly influenced by the cognitive styles that they have learned prior to university education. The latter may only reinforce, or exacerbate, pre‐existing tendencies. As a result of this, professionals may use their preferred styles indiscriminately, applying them in situations where they are quite inappropriate. This mismatching of style and problem commonly occurs in the environmental area where problems are complex and solutions would seem to require an approach based on an integration of styles. The way in which cognitive styles are mismatched to inadequately defined problems and the need for an integrated approach to environmental problems are discussed in this paper.     

Urban development in Adana,Turkey, and its environmental consequences

Rapid urbanization without effective management results in natural sources and a substantial part of the urban population being placed at risk from man‐made environmental problems, which become increasingly serious. This paper examines the environmental problems of Adana, the sixth largest and most developed city in Turkey. Adana faced huge problems of water, soil and noise pollution, solid and liquid waste elimination and loss of fertile agricultural areas. Rapid economic development – industrialization, population growth and unplanned urbanization – were determined to be the main causes of these environmental problems. Some recommendations are also made for mitigating and managing these problems in the sustainable urban development perspective.