Bibliography: pages 65-67. / In 1991 the Environmental Evaluation Unit (EEU) of the University of Cape Town was appointed by DBNM to undertake a socio-economic impact assessment of the proposed closure of DBNM by the year 2005. According to De Beers, the source of viable diamond ore is finite and unless technological advances or market fluctuations make the reserves economically viable, the mine has no option but to shut down its operations. This is anticipated to have major social and economic impacts on the region and DBNM. The emphasis is on regional impacts i.e. the Namaqualand Magisterial District. However, due to the concentration of employees originating from the Herschel District in the Transkei, special cognisance is taken of impacts likely to occur there. Therefore, the two main purposes of this report are to: * identify and evaluate the potential major socio-economic impacts arising out of the closure of De Beers Namaqualand Mines (DBNM), * determine mitigatory action which will reduce negative impacts and optimize positive impacts.

The historical framework and background to the process of approving quarries for construction materials in South Africa is examined in depth. In order to produce a proposed Environmental Evaluation System for the assessment of quarries in South Africa, the interrelationships of Quarries and the Environment are briefly examined philosophically. Environmental Impact terminology and Environmental Impact Assessment methodologies, techniques and procedures are also discussed.

2025 / Ambient air pollution poses significant health risks, with extensive research linking pollutants like PM2.5, NO2, and O3 to increased mortality and morbidity. The complex interplay between these pollutants, their sources, and atmospheric dynamics creates challenges for effective air quality management. Moreover, sociodemographic inequities in exposure to air pollution persist across multiple geographic scales, with marginalized communities facing disproportionate burdens due to historical and present-day inequities. Recent technological advancements in remote sensing, chemical transport modeling, and data integration have dramatically improved our ability to characterize air pollution exposure at fine spatial scales, even in areas lacking traditional monitoring networks. This enhanced understanding is crucial as the world grapples with climate change, presenting a unique opportunity to build solutions that simultaneously improve air quality, reduce existing inequities, and mitigate the worst impacts of our shifting climate.This dissertation explores the complex interplay between air pollution, climate change mitigation strategies, and the magnitude and distribution of health equity outcomes through three interconnected studies, each addressing fundamental aspects of air pollution exposure and health risk modeling at different geographic scales. The research examines the health benefits and equity implications of transportation emissions reduction scenarios and vehicle electrification strategies in the United States, while also providing insight regarding the health impacts of NO2 exposure in Mexico. This work collectively provides insight on alternative approaches for air pollution exposure modeling and for characterization of equity, helping to illuminate pathways for designing more impactful, equitable, and health-enhancing policies. In Chapter Two, we explore the equity implications of various transportation emissions reduction scenarios in the northeastern United States, focusing on four distinct equity constructs: racial/ethnic exposure inequities, benefits to environmental justice communities, distribution of benefits among participating states, and rural-urban share of benefits. Using advanced chemical transport modeling, we analyze scenarios for reducing directly emitted fine particulate matter across 12 Northeast states and the District of Columbia, revealing tradeoffs among different equity constructs. Our findings highlight that scenarios resulting in greater reductions in population-weighted primary PM2.5 exposure were generally those centered in states with large urban areas, leading to greater reductions in racial/ethnic exposure inequities but higher between state or rural/urban inequality. Conversely, scenarios targeting uniform percentage emission reductions from trucks better address rural/urban inequalities but lead to smaller reductions in racial/ethnic inequity. In Chapter Three, we evaluate the impacts of vehicle electrification strategies in the Boston metropolitan area of the Northeast United States, focusing on their potential to reduce emissions, improve health outcomes, and address existing exposure and health inequities among racial and ethnic groups. Using high-resolution chemical transport modeling, we examine a set of scenarios targeting different vehicle types within unique regions of the metropolitan area. Our findings highlight that while targeting larger vehicle fleets in suburban areas yielded greater overall health improvements, concentrating efforts on heavy-duty trucks and high-emitting vehicles in urban core areas proved most effective in reducing inequities on a per-vehicle basis. Our findings underline the importance of considering multiple pollutants and utilizing detailed health data in policy decision-making. The final study in Chapter Four assesses the public health burden of NO2 exposure in Mexico, highlighting uncertainties in health impact assessment modeling. This work utilizes two globally modeled ground-level NO2 datasets alongside TROPOMI satellite-derived tropospheric NO2 data to analyze spatial patterns in the pollutant across Mexico and their effects on population exposure estimates and health impact calculations, with different concentration-response functions also evaluated. The analysis reveals tens of thousands of premature deaths annually attributable to ambient NO2 exposure across Mexico annually. The study finds that health estimates vary more with the choice of concentration-response function at the national scale than the exposure dataset, though it is important to note only two exposure datasets were compared. Notable differences emerge between these exposure datasets, however, at the state level, particularly near Mexico City. While demographic patterns are consistent, differences are observed for smaller subpopulations like Indigenous language speakers. This work describes the notable health impacts of NO2 across Mexico, which were previously challenging to define due to limited air monitoring networks. It also highlights the complexities involved in selecting the most appropriate inputs for air pollution health impact assessments at different geographic scales. In conclusion, this dissertation underscores the importance of applying air pollution modeling techniques that fit both the pollutants of interest and the policy context, with heightened importance when considering local or regional contexts. Although the three chapters encompass diverse geographic scales and methodological frameworks, a recurring theme relates to the potential tradeoffs between overall public health improvements and targeted equity gains. Analyses that elucidate these tradeoffs and describe the attributes of policies that perform best across multiple endpoints will be maximally informative. These insights lay a groundwork for future research and policy development that simultaneously address air quality, climate change, and health equity.

Initiatives to electrify urban transport promote the purchase and usage of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and have great potential to mitigate the pressing challenges of climate change, energy scarcity and local air quality. Transportation electrification is a huge innovation and could directly and indirectly impact and/or be impacted by several urban sub-systems. This project develops an agent-based integrated framework for investigating how the EV market expands in the context of urban evolution at the micro scale, and assessing the potential impacts of the market expansion on the environment, power grid system and transport facilities, considering the interactions and dynamics found there. The framework may be useful for stakeholders, such as governments, as an aid to decision making. The integrated framework, SelfSim-EV, is updated from a Land Use and Transport (L-T) model, SelfSim, by incorporating several EV-related modules, including an EV market model, an activity-based travel demand model, a transport facility development model and a social network model. In order to somewhat present the behavioural rules of some key agents in SelfSim-EV, two questionnaire surveys on individual EV travel and purchase behaviours were delivered to members of the general public in Beijing, and semi-structured interviews with EV stakeholders were also carried out. The collected data was analysed using discrete choice models and Geographic Information System (GIS). SelfSim-EV was fully tested within two test cases in China, Baoding (a medium-sized city) and Beijing (the capital of China): first, parameter Sensitivity Analyses (SAs) were carried out to test SelfSim-EV within the test case of Baoding from both global and local perspectives, investigating the relationships between the 127 model parameters and 78 outputs of interest; Then SelfSim-EV was further tested within the case study of Beijing, involving in model initialisation, calibration, validation and prediction. Specifically, the SA results were used to calibrate SelfSim-EV in Beijing from 2011 to 2014 by matching various observed and simulated data types at both city- and district-levels, and the calibrated SelfSim-EV model was further validated against historical data in 2015. Then the future of EVs in Beijing was explored within a Reference Scenario (RefSc) from 2016 to 2020. Due to the model uncertainty in future events, several "what-if" scenarios were set up with the SelfSim-EV Beijing model to explore how three typical types of driving factors, namely policy, technology and infrastructure, may influence the EV market expansion at both aggregate and disaggregate levels. The results indicate that policies tend to be more influential than technologies and infrastructures in terms of EV penetration rates. RefSc eventually shows some improvement in total emissions, however, boosting sales of EVs (particularly PHEVs) in the wrong way could have negative impacts. Charging demand accounting for around 4% of total residential electricity demand in 2020 may put slight pressure on the power grid system in RefSc, and it does not increase linearly as the EV sales rise. Slow charging posts appear to be necessary, whereas fast charging facilities seem to contribute slightly to the EV market expansion and thus may be not necessary at the current stage.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is broadly defined as a systematic process that proactively examines the potential consequences of development actions. As a planning process, the longer-term objective of EIA is to contribute to sustainable development of the environment. EIA cannot meet its sustainability objective without a systematic follow-up program. Notwithstanding the benefits of a follow-up program, there is little guidance for best practices. The problem is that follow-up programs are not widely implemented in EIA and the lessons learned from experience have not been documented. This research explores the principles and characteristics of best-practice follow-up in an attempt to identify the lessons learned and issues raised from experiences in Canadas mining resource sector. A normative framework for doing follow-up is developed from the literature using these principles. Based on document analysis and semi-structured interviews, a case study of the Ekati Diamond Mine, Canadas first diamond mine, is evaluated based on the best practice principles, which advocate actions for success. The Ekati mine is meeting requirements in the best practice principles, as established in the best practice framework, which is outlined in part, in licenses obtained by Ekati. This is exemplified in BHPBs, use of hypothesis in impact prediction. However, there are normative principles and elements that are left out in Broken Hill Proprietary Billiton Ekatis follow-up programs. For example, there is some concern about the level to which local knowledge has been incorporated and the level to which monitoring of socio-economic elements is being carried out. Based on Ekatis experience, a number of new lessons emerge to inform the framework on best practice follow-up namely, that there is need for mandatory, non-ephemeral legislation on follow-up, that baseline data needs to be repeatedly collected after projects have started operations and that there is a need for firmer requirements if proponents are to exercise serious commitment to public involvement.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is broadly defined as a systematic process that proactively examines the potential consequences of development actions. As a planning process, the longer-term objective of EIA is to contribute to sustainable development of the environment. EIA cannot meet its sustainability objective without a systematic follow-up program. Notwithstanding the benefits of a follow-up program, there is little guidance for best practices. The problem is that follow-up programs are not widely implemented in EIA and the lessons learned from experience have not been documented. This research explores the principles and characteristics of best-practice follow-up in an attempt to identify the lessons learned and issues raised from experiences in Canadas mining resource sector. A normative framework for doing follow-up is developed from the literature using these principles. Based on document analysis and semi-structured interviews, a case study of the Ekati Diamond Mine, Canadas first diamond mine, is evaluated based on the best practice principles, which advocate actions for success. The Ekati mine is meeting requirements in the best practice principles, as established in the best practice framework, which is outlined in part, in licenses obtained by Ekati. This is exemplified in BHPBs, use of hypothesis in impact prediction. However, there are normative principles and elements that are left out in Broken Hill Proprietary Billiton Ekatis follow-up programs. For example, there is some concern about the level to which local knowledge has been incorporated and the level to which monitoring of socio-economic elements is being carried out. Based on Ekatis experience, a number of new lessons emerge to inform the framework on best practice follow-up namely, that there is need for mandatory, non-ephemeral legislation on follow-up, that baseline data needs to be repeatedly collected after projects have started operations and that there is a need for firmer requirements if proponents are to exercise serious commitment to public involvement.

A significant number of studies have identified clear links between chronic health issues, including asthma, obesity, and diabetes, and the design of the built environment. As shapers of the built environment, urban planners can play a central role in ameliorating these current health epidemics. Indeed, during the early history of the planning profession the fields of planning and public health were closely connected, and improved public health was seen as a key mission of the planning profession. Today, however, public health issues are not a central concern in planning, neither as a normative value of the field nor as a core element of daily planning practice. Instead, health is a value-based cause taken up by concerned practicing planners, who face numerous challenges in incorporating a health focus into their daily work. This research argues that there is a need for a focus on health outcomes within the planning field, based on the initial mission of planning discipline and current research showing the impact of the built environment on public health. Through a nationwide survey of planners and interviews with planning and health professionals in five cities, findings show that collaboration between health and planning departments is key to instilling a health focus within the practice of planning. Planners who seek to promote a health focus in planning are pursuing this value-based imperative through a variety of ad-hoc strategies, since existing regulations and professional guidelines are inadequate in terms of facilitating collaboration between public health and planning in order to systematically address health issues related to land use and the built environment. Research also shows that collaboration between planning and public health departments, when this does occur, is often initiated and driven by processionals in the public health discipline. Though planners and health professionals who have sought to collaborate have faced institutional, political, and awareness challenges, there are opportunities that can be leveraged to overcome these obstacles. These opportunities include the professional expertise available in the public health field, the availability of health data in order to reframe planning issues, and the potential of individual champions of health to drive health considerations in planning projects, and promote health as a normative value. Ultimately, individual planners who see the creation of healthier communities as central to their professional practice pursue collaborative strategies with health professionals despite the challenges they face. From the perspective of collaborative planning theory and theories of institutional change, this individual engagement and initiative by planners through their everyday practice has the potential to effect institutional change by forging a focus on health as a normative value central to the planning discipline. / text

This is a scoping report that presents conclusions and recommendations regarding the potential relationship between the people of Monroe and Lenawee Counties, Michigan and proposal to consider locating the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) in these counties. The study area is located within the two counties but includes only the extreme eastern portion of Lenawee County. This report discusses the social and cultural impacts that could derive from siting the SSC in these counties, the possible local resident responses to these potential SSC impacts, and potential statewide responses to the project. This scoping research was founded through a contract between the Michigan Energy and Resource Research Associations (MERRA) and the Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan. Scoping g research was conducted between April 15, 1986 and August 31, 1986.

These presentations were designed to provide orientation information for the Solar Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.

At the request of the Governor of Michigan, researchers from the Institute for Social Research (ISR) at The University of Michigan conducted studies of the social effects of and community support for the proposed Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) project in Michigan. Their initial work in 1986 focused on Dundee, in southeastern Michigan, the first site considered by Michigan as a location for the SSC. The State eventually presented proposals for two Michigan sites: the Dundee location and a location near Stockbridge, which is situated in south central Michigan. Research was conducted at both sites.