Biomass production and land use management in the Italian context: regulations, conflicts, and impacts

Renewable energy sources, such as biomass can make a positive impact on climate change phenomenon by decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels. The use of biomass energy is directly linked to the use of the land, from which biomass feedstock is obtained, such as farm land and forests, and its ecosystem services. The biomass production and the use of land and ecosystem services are usually associated with a wide range of environmental and social impacts, depending on what choices are made regarding what types of biomass are used, as well as where and how they are produced. Choosing management practices that minimize negative impacts and complement planning policies and energy production objectives is often associated with land-use conflicts among both different institutional levels, local, national and European, and different social actors. Yet, European Directive 2009/28/CE establishes that the energy production from renewable energy by 2020, as well as from biofuel, defined for each member state (Annex 1), must be achieved through a “sustainable†production. Such definition is assigned to national and local contexts, arising issues in policy making, conflicts analysis and methodologies. The present paper discusses on the recent acknowledgment of the above mentioned EU directive in several Italian Regions, such as Puglia and Marche, which have defined regulations/guidelines regarding their potential contribution to the national objectives of production and consumption of energy from renewable sources (EFR). Moreover, the present paper confronts such regulations with results found in literature. Several analyses have been done on the energy production from biomass based on technical and economic aspects of the problem. However, few studies have applied integrated approaches able to take into consideration crucial aspects such as biodiversity conservation and landscape fragmentation, as required by EU Directive 2009/28/CE, side by side with the economic and social dimensions. This paper aims at filling this gap proposing the application of an integrated framework of analysis, based on multi-criteria approaches able to take into consideration socio-economic, environmental and landscape criteria, as well as institutional and social conflicts linked to the biomass production.

Siting nuclear power plants in California: the near-term alternatives

There are many issues presently being debated concerning the generation and utilization of electric power in California. Some are peculiar to a specific area, such as the level of air quality and how it is influenced by fossil-fuel power plants. Others are of general applicability, such as high-level waste disposal from nuclear reactors, which is of global concern. It is the purpose of this study to investigate one particular aspect of the power problem. This is the question of the relative desirability of locating nuclear power plants at sites along the California coastline or at inland locations. In this introductory section, the basic problem will be outlined, including expected growth in electrical usage, and the nature of the controversy, which lies in the allocation of limited resources. In subsequent sections, the environmental impacts of coastal and inland plant siting will be discussed in general, without reference to specific locations. Conflicting demands for limited resources (namely, the coastline area and cooling water supply) will also be explored and evaluated. Finally, with the aid of this generalized information, a comparison will be made of the siting alternatives

Informal Housing, Inadequate Property Rights: Understanding the Needs of India's Informal Housing Dwellers

In India, as in many other developing countries, urban population growth and the shortage of planned affordable housing have led to 26–37 million households (33–47 percent of the urban population) living in informal housing (slums and unauthorised housing). Slum dwellers often live in poor conditions and face the threat of eviction or demolition. Unauthorised housing dwellers usually have some basic services (such as electricity and water). However, they may lack proper roads, sewage, or drainage, and they also face the potential threat of demolition.The Indian government has tried many different approaches to help improve living conditions for informal housing dwellers, but without sizeable impact. Redeveloping and relocating slums has not scaled, improving service provision has been slow, and "legalising" unauthorised housing has been limited. Unfortunately, informal housing is going to exist for the foreseeable future in India, and there is an urgent need to improve the lives of people who are living in such sub-optimal conditions.This report applies a property rights lens to segment the different types of informal housing, to understand the size and the needs of these segments, and to identify potential solutions to meet these needs. The research focuses specifically on owner-occupants, since they are most likely to invest in improving their housing as they will benefit from these improvements—both as residents and as owners of the asset.Research for the report involved reviewing 40 reports, speaking to 56 experts, conducting around 200 qualitative interviews of informal housing dwellers in 90 settlements, conducting quantitative interviews of 517 informal housing dwellers in 40 settlements in four cities (Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, and Cuttack), gathering feedback on the findings in a workshop with 10 experts, and feedback on a draft report from 21 experts

Technology transfer potential of an automated water monitoring system

The nature and characteristics of the potential economic need (markets) for a highly integrated water quality monitoring system were investigated. The technological, institutional and marketing factors that would influence the transfer and adoption of an automated system were studied for application to public and private water supply, public and private wastewater treatment and environmental monitoring of rivers and lakes

Sustainable Design of Energy Systems - The Case of Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is one of the renewable energy resources with a vast potential. It is extended spatially in many areas, isolated from urban areas and direct uses, whereas its utilisation when it is not for electricity production is many times hampered due to lack of a proper development framework. In this work we present a design framework for sustainable geothermal systems incorporating modules covering the various aspects of exploration, utilisation, end-use and management. The overall framework consists of the following sub modules: a. geophysical model of the assessment of the geothermal reservoir capacity b. model for the management of the geothermal wells, pumping and re-injection c. model for the distribution network d. model for the various end-uses, e. environmental model for sustainable operation The overall framework incorporates the basic axes of sustainable development, i.e. resources, economy, environment, energy, technology, society. The theoretical framework is applied to an existing geothermal reservoir which at the current is being underutilized, from an energy, environmental and economic perspective. The search for an optimum design includes the formulation of different scenarios and the multi-criteria decision analysis of them.

Water Quality Trading and Offset Initiatives in the U.S.: A Comprehensive Survey

This document summarizes water quality trading and offset initiatives in the United States, including state-wide policies and recent proposals. The following format was used to present information on each program. We attempted to have each program summary reviewed by at least one contact person for program accuracy. In the cases where this review occurred, we added the statement "Reviewed by.." at the end of the case summary

A MAS model for optimizing the spatial aspects of livestock production and manure abatement

As a consequence of the EU Nitrates Directive many countries have developed policies to regulate manure production and manure emission on land. Farmers have three allocation options: spreading manure on own land, transporting manure to other farmers’ land and processing manure. To better understand the manure problem as an allocation problem a spatial mathematical programming multi-agent model has been developed. The model is applied for Flanders (Belgium), a highly concentrated livestock area. Using this model, policy alternatives and their cost efficiency can be evaluated. These simulations result in advice on location and type of manure processing and an indicator which creates transparency in the manure and processing market