26,814 research outputs found

    Water resource security evaluation and barrier analysis in Henan Province utilizing the DPSIR framework

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    Water resource health is one of the necessary conditions for society to achieve sustainable development. Due to the predominant focus of most studies on relatively short time spans, with limited attention to long time series and spatial trends, this study, using various regions of Henan Province as a case study, constructs a water resource security assessment framework based on the DPSIR model encompassing Drivers (D), Pressures (P), State (S), Impact (I), and Response (R) dimensions, with a selection of 19 evaluation indicators. Based on this evaluation index system, the CRITIC-TOPSIS evaluation method is formulated by integrating the CRITIC (Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) models. This method is employed to assess the degree of water resource security in Henan Province from 2013 to 2022. And the Obstruction Degree Model is introduced to diagnose the water resource security levels in various regions of Henan Province. The assessment results indicate that over the past decade, the overall level of water resource security in various regions of Henan Province has shown an increasing trend. Irrigated area, per capita water resources, water consumption per unit of industrial value added, per acre water consumption for agricultural irrigation, the ratio of river length meeting water quality standards, groundwater supply proportion, and sewage treatment rate are identified as the primary obstacles influencing the water resource security levels in different regions of Henan Province. The research outcomes of this study can serve as theoretical foundations to enhance urban water resource security globally, ultimately facilitating sustainable development

    An Integrated Assessment Framework for Water Resources Management: A DSS Tool and a Pilot Study Application

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    Decision making for the management of water resources is a complex and difficult task. This is due to the complex socio-economic system that involves a large number of interest groups pursuing multiple and conflicting objectives, within an often intricate legislative framework. Several Decision Support Systems have been developed but very few have indeed proved to be effective and truly operational. MULINO (Multisectoral, Integrated and Operational Decision Support System for Sustainable Use of Water Resources at the Catchment Scale) is a project funded under the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Research and the key action line dedicated to operational management schemes and decision support system for sustainable use of water resources. The MULINO DSS (mDSS) integrates hydrological models with multi-criteria decision methods and adopts the DPSIR (Driving Force – Pressure – State – Impact – Response) framework developed by the European Environment Agency. The DPSIR was converted from a static reporting scheme into a dynamic framework for integrated assessment modelling (IAM) and multi-criteria evaluation procedures. This paper presents the methodological framework and the intermediate results of the mDSS tool through its application in a pilot study area located in the Watershed of the Lagoon of Venice.Integrated water resources management, Spatial decision-making, Decision support system, Catchment, Environmental modelling

    The Assessment of Real Estate Initiatives to Be Included in the Socially-Responsible Funds

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    The acknowledgment of the ongoing economic and financial crisis involving real estate, creates the need to formulate proposals and scenarios (in real estate) with the characteristics of socially responsible investments. These kind of investments aim towards “sustainable” development both environmentally (safeguarding the shortage of resources such as land, energy, and natural elements), and socially (protecting the population and raising its level of well-being) according to so-called “ethical finance”, instead of a mere “speculative” investment. Effectively, real estate is still an investment sector only marginally explored by the socially-responsible funds. Based on these premises, this paper will: (i) briefly analyze the nature of socially-responsible investments, setting their characteristics apart from “traditional investments”; and (ii) propose a possible procedure (of the multi-criteria type) which aims to assess socially-responsible investments in real estate. This will be applied to a case study regarding a social housing initiative in the municipality of Anguillara Sabazia (Rome, Italy)

    Developing and applying water security metrics in China: experience and challenges

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    © 2016 Elsevier B.V. In recent years the ‘water security’ concept has gained both increased public profile and also traction in policy-making circles in China. Moreover its strategic significance for the country has been more frequently addressed by central government. Indicators characterizing the major components of water security, such as socio-economic conditions, water resources, water environment, and aquatic ecosystems, have been used to develop composite metrics and measure China's progress towards water security at different spatial scales including national, provinces, cities, and river basins since the early 2000s. Aiming at providing sound decision-making, however, there are still critical methodological challenges to this now well-established practice — for example, the selection, banding and aggregation of indicators, and consideration of stakeholder participation

    An Integrated Multi-Criteria System to Assess Sustainable Energy Options: An Application of the Promethee Method

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    The planning and appraisal of sustainable energy projects involve rather complex tasks. This is due to the fact that the decision making process is the closing link in the process of analysing and handling different types of information: environmental, technical economic and social. Such information can play a strategic role in steering the decision maker towards one choice instead of another. Some of these variables (technical and economic) can be handled fairly easily by numerical models whilst others, particularly ones relating to environmental impacts, may only be adjudicated qualitatively (subjective or not). In many cases therefore, traditional evaluation methods such as cost-benefit analysis and the main economic and financial indicators (NPV, ROI, IRR etc.) are unable to deal with all the components involved in an environmentally valid energy project. Multi-criteria methods provide a flexible tool that is able to handle and bring together a wide range of variables appraised in different ways and thus offer valid assistance to the decision maker in mapping out the problem. This paper sets out the application of a multi-criteria method (PROMETHEE developed by J.P. Brans et al. 1986) to a real life case that is in tune with the objectives of sustainable development.Renewable energy, Multicriteria, Sustainable devolopment

    GIS-BASED SUITABILITY MODELING AND MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS FOR UTILITY SCALE SOLAR PLANTS IN FOUR STATES IN THE SOUTHEAST US

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    Photovoltaic (PV) development shows significantly smaller growth in the Southeast U.S., than in the Southwest; which is mainly due to the low cost of fossil-fuel based energy production in the region and the lack of solar incentives. However, the Southeast has appropriate insolation conditions (4.0-6.0 KWh/m2/day) for photovoltaic deployment and in the past decade the region has experienced the highest population growth for the entire country. These factors, combined with new renewable energy portfolio policies, could create an opportunity for PV to provide some of the energy that will be required to sustain this growth. The goal of the study was to investigate the potential for PV generation in the Southeast region by identifying suitable areas for a utility-scale solar power plant deployment. Four states with currently low solar penetration were studied: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Feasible areas were assessed with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software using solar, land use and population growth criteria combined with proximity to transmission lines and roads. After the GIS-based assessment of the areas, technological potential was calculated for each state. Multi-decision analysis model (MCDA) was used to simulate the decision making method for a strategic PV installation. The model accounted for all criteria necessary to consider in case of a PV development and also included economic and policy criteria, which is thought to be a strong influence on the PV market. Three different scenarios were established, representing decision makers\u27 theoretical preferences. Map layers created in the first part were used as basis for the MCDA and additional technical, economic and political/market criteria were added. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the model\u27s robustness. Finally, weighted criteria were assigned to the GIS map layers, so that the different preference systems could be visualized. As a result, lands suitable for a potential industrial-scale PV deployment were assessed. Moreover, a precise calculation for technical potential was conducted, with a capacity factor determined by the actual insolation of the sum of each specific feasible area. The results of the study showed that, for a utility-scale PV utility deployment, significant amount of feasible areas are available, with good electricity generation potential Moreover, a stable MCDA model was established for supporting strategic decision making in a PV deployment. Also, changes of suitable lands for utility-scale PV installations were visualized in GIS for the state of Tennessee

    Wind Energy and Multicriteria Analysis in Making Decisions on the Location of Wind Farms: A Case Study in the North-Eastern of Poland

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    This chapter presents an investigation of different methods of multicriteria analysis and different rules of proceedings that have to be taken into account for making decision about location of a wind farm with application in the north-eastern (NE) Poland. Ten multicriteria analyses were discussed taking into account the main criteria on which they are based on utility functions (MAUT, AHP, and DEMATEL), relationship outranking (ELECTRE, PROMETHEE, and ARROW-RAYNAUD), distances (TOPSIS), and decision support (BORDA ranking methods and their modified and COPELAND). Taking into account of nine criteria that should be met by the location of 15 wind turbines in Krynki and Szudzialowo communities, the main three criteria (C3, C8, and C9) were found to differentiate location of eight wind turbines (T-6–T-13), according to two variants (I and II). The Borda ranking method proved that from among the two variants considered, the more suitable location of wind turbines is second variant W II than first variant W I. Variant W II had a higher altitude of the terrain (C3) and less risk of impact on birds (C8) and bats species (C9) than variant W I
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