Thesis advisor: Jonathan Krones / The manifold effects of the COVID-19 pandemic include many changes to humanity's impact on the natural environment, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions from air travel and increased personal protective equipment (PPE) waste generation. The pandemic has served as a global natural experiment, revealing interactions between human health and the environment that were not clearly observable before. This research aims to develop a framework for systematically assessing the impacts of human health on the environment. This framework has been structured and populated from a review of the emerging literature on the documented environmental effects of the pandemic in addition to existing literature on environmental impacts of the health care sector in general. The framework tool catalogs observed and expected environmental effects in five stages of a public health crisis (the health issue, the medical response, the public health response, adaptation and rebound, and long-term effects) and five environmental impact categories (water pollution, solid waste, air pollution, global warming, and environmental degradation). The applicability of this framework is examined using two case studies: the 2003 SARS outbreak and the localized experience of COVID-19 in New York City. The application revealed that the framework is both transferable and scalable for use in assessing other human health crises. Overall, many of the beneficial environmental impacts that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic only came at the expense of widespread human suffering, and over time, many of these benefits were reversed. The goal is that this tool will be useful to understanding both the ways COVID-19 will continue to affect the environment as well as the effects of potential public health campaigns and crises in the future. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Environmental Studies.

With rising valuation of mineral commodities, mining has been envisioned as a profitable industry regardless of many challenges it entails. This comprehensive review provides the state of knowledge about several aspects of the metal mining industry, including (a) the basic mining processes with reasons for mine closure, (b) the potential environmental and human health impacts associated with mining, (c) the potential techniques for impact mitigation, (d) the latest production statistics for the base and precious metals with identification of currently operational major metal mines for different countries, and (e) how mining activities are regulated in different nations. Finally, the authors provide critical appraisal on the debatable issue of mining and sustainability to stimulate thoughts on how metal mining can be made sustainable, and suggest a path forward.

With rising valuation of mineral commodities, mining has been envisioned as a profitable industry regardless of many challenges it entails. This comprehensive review provides the state of knowledge about several aspects of the metal mining industry, including (a) the basic mining processes with reasons for mine closure, (b) the potential environmental and human health impacts associated with mining, (c) the potential techniques for impact mitigation, (d) the latest production statistics for the base and precious metals with identification of currently operational major metal mines for different countries, and (e) how mining activities are regulated in different nations. Finally, the authors provide critical appraisal on the debatable issue of mining and sustainability to stimulate thoughts on how metal mining can be made sustainable, and suggest a path forward.

Small diameter trees refer to the trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ranging from 5 to 11 inches. This research focuses on the resource analysis and spatial distribution of small-diameter tree (SDT) volume in Mississippi by a set of grouping variables including DBH class, species, stand size, forest cover type, ownership, and county groups. Regression and spatial interpolation techniques were used to predict the SDT volume for pine, hardwood, and mixed forest covers. Regression analysis resulted in a low regression coefficient (R2) without inventory data for all the forest cover types. The mean SDT volume to the total volume was greatest for pine (0.6), followed by mixed (0.4), and hardwood (0.3) forest cover. Non-spatial estimates indicated the total volume within respective groups. The spatial and non-spatial estimates of SDT resources can guide forest management personnel to effectively focus their management efforts.

State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs are often called on to demonstrate their impacts. While many studies demonstrate techniques for assessing various economic and environmental effects of IPM, the literature provides little guidance on incorporating the techniques to perform complete assessments of IPM programs. This thesis begins with a discussion of relevant economic and environmental techniques for IPM impact assessment. Next, impact assessment techniques that are widely accepted and analytically feasible are identified. These techniques are incorporated into comprehensive impact assessment frameworks for use by individuals charged with the assessment of state level IPM programs. The study concludes with case studies which show how the assessment protocols were applied to estimate and describe the impacts of the Pennsylvania and Massachusetts sweet corn IPM programs. / Master of Science

Orientador: Lindon Fonseca Matias / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociências / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T10:53:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ferreira_PaulaFabyanneMarques_M.pdf: 9800598 bytes, checksum: 2c254d2a94d8c5a83bcc51c72bc125d0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Este trabalho visa contribuir com o conhecimento sobre a dinâmica de produção do espaço geográfico na cidade de Itacaré, localizada na região cacaueira do estado da Bahia, Brasil. A emergência da cidade como polo turístico e sua perspectiva de desenvolvimento econômico tem ampliado a atratividade local e, por conseguinte, a pressão demográfica. A crescente urbanização, a especulação imobiliária, a falta de planejamento e o intenso fluxo de turistas têm desencadeado processos que afetam toda a relação entre a sociedade e o espaço natural, causando uma série de impactos socioambientais. A metodologia teve como principal estratégia a espacialização dos principais impactos, considerando as características físicas e sociais da área em estudo. Além do levantamento e revisão bibliográfica, foram realizadas visitas em campo, coleta de informações em órgãos oficiais, realização de mapeamentos temáticos, entrevistas com moradores locais, turistas e representantes públicos, análise de imagens de satélite da área de estudo e elaboração da base de dados georreferenciados, enfocando os principais impactos socioambientais urbanos. O presente diagnóstico adverte uma situação de expansão urbana voltada para o turismo sem um planejamento estratégico, que está gerando crescentes impactos socioambientais e a degradação da qualidade de vida local, especialmente dos segmentos mais pobres da população / Abstract: This paper intends to contribute to knowledge about the dynamics of production of geographical space in the town of Itacare, located in the cocoa region of Bahia, Brazil. The emergence of the city as a tourist hub and its outlook for economic development has increased the local attraction and, consequently, the demographic pressure. Increasing urbanization, real state speculation and massive flow of tourists have unleashed processes that affect the entire relationship between society and the natural space, causing a series of socio-environmental impacts. The methodology had as the most strategy, the spatialization and integration of these socio-environmental attributes, considering the physical and social characteristics of the study area. In addition to the survey and literature review, visits were made in the field, collecting information in official establishments, conducting thematic mapping, interviews with local residents, tourists and government officials, analysis of satellite images of the study area and development of georeferenced database, focusing on the major urban socio-environmental impacts. This diagnostic warns a situation of urban sprawl devoted to tourism, without a strategic planning are causing socio-environmental impacts and degradation of quality of local life, especially for the poorest segments of the population / Mestrado / Análise Ambiental e Dinâmica Territorial / Mestre em Geografia

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Žemių užtvankų žemutinio bjefo atraminės sienos (toliau – AS) yra veikiamos nepalankių klimatinių poveikių, vandens, grunto slėgio ir kt. apkrovų. Veikiant agresyvioms aplinkoms ir apkrovoms atsiranda pažaidos, kurios ardo atraminę sieną bei mažina konstrukcijos laikomąją galią. Darbo tikslas – įvertinti nepalankių aplinkos poveikių įtaką atraminių sienų skerspjūvio sumažėjimui. 2007–2010 metais mokslinių ekspedicijų metu įvertinta 21 hidromazgo atraminių sienų būklė. Apžiūrėtos Kauno, Panevėžio, Utenos ir Marijampolės apskričių hidromazgų atraminės sienos, fiksuotos svarbiausios pažaidos. Detaliau ištirta Antanavo hidromazgo atraminė siena, įvertintas sienos skerspjūvio sumažėjimas dėl nepalankių aplinkos poveikių. Pagal tyrimų duomenis pasiūlyti pažaidų, mažinančių atraminių sienų skerspjūvį, remonto būdai. / Retaining walls of lower head–water of ground dams are influenced by negative climatic impacts, water, ground pressure and other loads. Upon the effect of aggressive environment and loads, deteriorations occur destroying the retaining wall as well as reducing the bearing capacity of the constructions. The aim of the work is to evaluate reduction of cross–section of retaining walls as a result of negative environmental impacts. Through the period 2007–2010 on scientific expeditions the condition of retaining walls of 21 hydroshemes was assessed. Retaining walls of hydroschemes in the counties of Kaunas, Panevezys, Utena and Marijampole have been examined, the most significant deteriorations were fixed. Retaining wall in Antanavas hydropower station was examined in detail; reduction of cross–section of retaining wall due to the influence of negative environmental impacts was assessed.