The project's objective is to support JRC IPTS in revising the existing Ecolabel and GPP criteria of personal computers and notebook computers. The priority in this revision process is to first analyse which of the existing criteria and the supporting evidence are still valid and to identify the additional research that should be carried out. Potential additional criteria can be developed, if identified as necessary in the course of the study. The study starts with a definition of the scope; the necessarity for new or revised Ecolabel and GPP criteria is based on a market analysis and a technical analysis with research on the most significant environmental impacts during the whole life cycle of the products. This also includes the application of a consistent methodological approach regarding the hazardous substances criteria. Based on these findings, the improvement potential will be derived resulting in a proposal for a revised Ecolabel and GPP criteria set for desktop and notebook computers which will be discussed in a European stakeholder process.
The project's objective is to support JRC IPTS in revising the existing Ecolabel and GPP criteria of televisions. The priority in this revision process is to first analyse which of the existing criteria and the supporting evidence are still valid and to identify the additional research that should be carried out. Potential additional criteria can be developed, if identified as necessary in the course of the study. The study starts with a definition of the scope; the necessarity for new or revised Ecolabel and GPP criteria is based on a market analysis and a technical analysis with research on the most significant environmental impacts during the whole life cycle of the products. This also includes the application of a consistent methodological approach regarding the hazardous substances criteria. Based on these findings, the improvement potential will be derived resulting in a proposal for a revised Ecolabel and GPP criteria set for televisions which will be discussed in a European stakeholder process.
The aim of the current research is to identify regional sources and trans-boundary flow leading to the observed salinity of Lake Tiberias (LT) -also known as the Sea of Galilee or Lake Kinneret-, and its surroundings, which is considered the only natural surface fresh water reservoir of the area. The current study will include all sources of brines in the Tiberias Basin (TB) with specific emphasis of the relationship between the brines from the Ha'on and Tiberias Regions (HTR).The tasks will be achieved by a multidisciplinary approach involving: (i) numerical modelling of density-driven flow processes (i.e., coupled heat and dissolution of evaporites), (ii) hydrochemical studies, supplemented by investigations of subsurface structures.(i) Numerical modelling will be carried out by applying the commercial software FEFLOW® (WASY, GmbH) complemented with the open source code OpenGeoSys developed at the UFZ of Leipzig (Wang et al., 2009). The final goal is to build a 3D regional-scale model of density-driven flow that will result in: (1) revealing the different interactions between fresh groundwater and natural salinity sources (2) elucidate the driving mechanisms of natural brines and brackish water body's movements.(ii) Hydrochemical study will include major, minor and, if possible, rare earth elements (REE) as well as isotope studies. The samples will be analysed at the FU Berlin and UFZ Halle laboratories. Geochemical data interpretation and inverse modelling will be supported by PHREEQC. Hydrochemical field investigations will be carried out in Tiberias basin and its enclosing heights, i.e. the Golan, Eastern Galilee and northern Ajloun in order to search for indications of the presence of deep, relic saline groundwater infested by the inferred Ha'on mother-brine. The current approaches will be supplemented by seismic and statistical data analysis as well as GIS software applications for the definition of the subsurface structures. The key research challenges are: building a 3D structural model of selected regions of TB, adapting both structural and hydrochemical data to the numerical requirements of the model; calibrating the 3D regional-scale model with observational data. The results of this work are expected to establish suitable water-management strategies for the exploitation of freshwater from the lake and from the adjacent aquifers while reducing salinization processes induced by both local and regional brines.
Der im Oktober 2003 vorgelegte Verordnungsvorschlag für die Registrierung, Bewertung, Zulassung und Beschränkung von Chemikalien (REACH) legt fest, welche Informationen im Rahmen des Registrierungsverfahrens für Stoffe zu liefern sind. Im Rahmen von REACH sind allerdings mehrere Möglichkeiten vorgesehen, auf die Durchführung einzelner Prüfungen zu verzichten, wenn dies ausreichend begründet wird. Der Verzicht auf die Durchführung einzelner Prüfungen wird in REACH als 'Waiving' bezeichnet. Als 'expositionsbezogenes Waiving' wird ein Verzicht auf die Durchführung von Studien bezeichnet, wenn die Begründung darauf gestützt ist, dass es zu keiner relevanten Exposition von Mensch und Umwelt durch den zu registrierenden Stoff kommt. Doch für die Beantwortung der grundsätzlichen Frage: 'Was ist unter einer relevanten Exposition zu verstehen?' fehlten bisher klare Kriterien und rechtssichere Definitionen. Im Verordnungsvorschlag werden in den Anhängen VI, VII und VIII je nach Textstelle unterschiedliche Begriffe für ein Waiving aufgrund der Exposition verwendet ('no relevant exposure', 'limited exposure', 'no exposure', 'no significant exposure', 'unlikely exposure'). Mit Exposition ist hierbei der Kontakt des Menschen oder der Umwelt mit einem Stoff gemeint. Ergänzend wird auch in Anhang IX auf das expositionsgesteuerte Waiving eingegangen. Risikomanagementmaßnahmen, welche die Exposition beeinflussen, werden an mehreren Stellen des REACH-Verordnungsvorschlages angesprochen. In einem gemeinsamen Forschungsprojekt hat das Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit und der Verband der Chemischen Industrie e.V. (VCI) mit Unterstützung des Öko-Instituts in Kooperation mit dem Forschungs- und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe (FoBiG) und dem Institute Ökologische Netze dazu jetzt Konkretisierungen vorgelegt. Anhand von 17 konkreten Stoffbeispielen erarbeiteten die WissenschaftlerInnen die entsprechenden Expositionssituationen und konkrete Kriterien für das Fehlen einer relevanten Exposition und den daraus abzuleitenden Verzicht auf bestimmte Testanforderungen. Sie prüften auch, ob solche konkretisierten Waiving-Bedingungen in der Praxis umsetzbar sind. Im humantoxikologischen Bereich wurde vorrangig die Frage bearbeitet, unter welchen Bedingungen auf den 28-Tage-Toxizitäts-Test gemäß Anhang VI verzichtet werden kann, als Beispiel für einen Test mit wiederholter Applikation. Das Projekt wurde organisatorisch und inhaltlich vom Öko-Institut unterstützt, gemeinsam mit dem Forschungs- und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe (FoBiG) und dem Institut Ökologische Netze. An dem Projekt wirkten weitere ExpertInnen des VCI und seiner Mitgliedsunternehmen, der Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA), des Umweltbundesamtes (UBA) und des Bundesinstitutes für Risikobewertung (BfR), des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Arbeit (BMWA), des Beratergremiums für Altstoffe (BUA) und des Sachverständigenrates für Umweltfragen (SRU) mit.
In this project energy scenarios up to the year 2030 representing economic trends and impacts of climate and energy policies are developed. These provide a basis for the reporting duties 'monitoring mechanism' of the Federal Environmental Agency regarding the UNFCCC. For this purpose the dynamic econometric Input-Output (DEIO) model of the WIFO is used. lt represents energy demands of 59 NACE 2-digit sectors, and the household sector in relations to energy prices, technical and socio-demographic variables such as stock of dwellings and energy efficiency explaining economic developments. The DEIQ model is linked to three partial bottom-up models of other research groups, which describe the heating system, electricity demand and power generation and the transport sector. Scenario results are presented according to the template of the aggregated energy balance of Statistics Austria with regard to 1. the reference, with-measures (WM) scenario, 2. a sensitivity analysis to the reference scenario, and 3. a climate and energy policy scenario (with additional-measures, WAM) with 4. a sensitivity analysis 10 the WAM scenario. The WM scenario is based on recent WIFO economic forecasts and focuses on the impacts of the economic crisis on energy demand. The WAM scenario is based on the Austrian Energy Strategy, reflecting the targets of the final energy consumption (1,100 PJ p.a.), the share of renewable energy according to the definition of the EU climate and energy package (34 percent) and the reduction of greenhouse gases by 16 percent within the EU 'effort sharing.
Ecotourism had been proposed as a tool of sustainable management of protected areas since it is considered to be an environmental and social form of land use, which may ensure the long-term conservation of natural and socio-cultural resources; contribute to the local development; and provide an equitable satisfaction to all stakeholders. However, this concept is relatively new in many countries including Cameroon and its definition and implementation principles are still under consideration. Accordingly, it is still open the question on how tourism can be realised in a protected area in conformity with the requirements of sustainable development of the Rio conference. This question is the main concern of the study, which aims to analyse the possibilities for the realisation of ecologically sustainable tourism concepts in protected areas in Cameroon. Four protected areas were selected for the case study: Waza National Park, Benoue National Park, Korup National Park and Campo-Maan National Park. The study highlights that the preliminary conditions for tourism development exist in the case study areas. Actually for example, tourism can be legally developed in some protected areas including national parks and the government want to promote ecotourism as a tool of sustainable management. There is a rich potential of natural and cultural attractions whose quality varies generally with the areas. Although tourism has potential for creating jobs and constitutes an important source of revenue, some constraints and risks (can) hinder the sustainability of its development, for example: Inadequacy of some law provisions; non active involvement of all stakeholders; small number of visitors; lack of marketing; and inequitable sharing of benefits and bearing of costs. The study findings lead to the suggestion of strategies and indicators for the successful realisation of the ecologically sustainable tourism concepts in the protected area. These strategies are important for the development and revision of the tourism and management policy, especially for the proetected areas management plan. Additionally, this study constitutes a basis for further investigations in the field of 'tourism and nature protection, especially in the central Africa sub-region.
The COMTES project has as goal to develop and demonstrate three novel systems for compact seasonal storage of solar thermal energy. These systems will contribute to the EU 20-20-20 targets by covering a larger share of the domestic energy demand with solar thermal energy. Main objective of COMTES is to develop and demonstrate systems for seasonal storage that are significantly better than water based systems. The three technologies are covered in COMTES by three parallel development lines: solid sorption, liquid sorption and supercooling PCM. Strength of this approach is the collaboration of three development groups in activities that pertain to the analyses, methods and techniques that concern all technologies, without risking the exchange of confidential material. In this way, the development is much more effective than in three separate projects. The project starts with a definition of system boundary conditions and target applications. Next comes the investigation of the best available storage materials. Detailed numerical modelling of the physical processes, backed by experimental validations, will lead to optimum component design. Full-scale prototypes are simulated, constructed and tested in the laboratory in order to optimize process design. One year of fully monitored operation in demonstration buildings is followed by an integrated evaluation of the systems and their potential. When deemed successful, the involved industry partners will pick up the developed storage concepts and bring them further to a commercial level. The COMTES project is a cooperation of key scientific institutions active in the above mentioned heat storage technologies. For the first time, all relevant research disciplines are covered in an international effort. For each development line, a top-Ieading industry partner contributes its know-how and experience, providing the basis for further industrial development and exploitation of project results.
The MSY concept was included as a principle in the 2009 Green Paper on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in accordance with the global imperative to manage fish stocks according to the maximum sustainable yield (MSY). This implies a commitment to direct management of fish stocks towards achieving MSY by 2015. Attaining this goal is complicated by the lack of common agreement on the interpretation of 'sustainability' and 'yield' and by the effects that achieving MSY for one stock may have on other stocks and broader ecosystem, economic, or social aspects. MYFISH will provide definitions of MSY variants which maximize other measures of 'yield' than biomass and which account for the fact that single species rarely exist in isolation. Further, MYFISH will redefine the term 'sustainable' to signify that Good Environmental Status (MSFD) is achieved and economically and socially unacceptable situations are avoided, all with acceptable levels of risk. In short, MYFISH aims at integrating the MSY concept with the overarching principals of the CFP: the precautionary and the ecosystem approach. MYFISH will achieve this objective through addressing fisheries in all RAC areas and integrating stakeholders (the fishing industry, NGOs and managers) throughout the project. Existing ecosystem and fisheries models will be modified to perform maximization of stakeholder approved yield measures while ensuring acceptable impact levels on ecosystem, economic and social aspects. Implementation plans are proposed and social aspects addressed through active involvement of stakeholders. Finally, effects of changes in environment, economy and society on MSY variants are considered, aiming at procedures rendering the MSY approach robust to such changes. The expertise of 26 partners from relevant disciplines including fisheries, ecosystem, economic and social science are involved in all aspects of the project. Global experience is engaged from North America and the South Pacific.
Das Projekt ist getragen von der Vision der 'Integrierten Verbundproduktion auf Basis nachwachsender Rohstoffe' und der durchgängigen Entwicklung vom Labor- bis zum Produktionsmaßstab. Dieser Ansatz ist neuartig und wurde bisher noch nicht realisiert. Die durchgängige Entwicklung von Prozessen und Verfahren zur Nutzung nachwachsender Rohstoffe vom Labor- bis zum Produktionsmaßstab in einer Bioraffinerie ist ein entscheidender Faktor für die erfolgreiche Umsetzung des vorgeschlagenen Konzeptes. AP7.1: Erfassung der ökonomischen und ökologischen Kenngrößen der Rohstoffbereitstellung. AP7.2: Definition der Systemgrenzen der Teilprozesse sowie der vier Produktlinien. AP7.3: Erfassung der Stoff- und Energieströme mit einem Stoffflussanalysewerkzeug. AP7.4: Ökonomische, ökologische und soziale Bewertung der Teilprozesse. AP7.5: Produktbewertung. Für das Institut für Industriebetriebslehre und Industrielle Produktion (IIP) der Universität Karlsruhe (TH) stellen die Ergebnisse des Vorhabens einen wichtigen Schritt zur Entwicklung eines in sich geschlossenen Instrumentariums zur ökonomischen, ökologischen und sozialen Bewertung von Nutzungskonzepten von Biomasse sowohl aus Prozess- als auch aus Produktsicht dar. Die entwickelten und angepassten Methoden und Werkzeuge können auf weitere Produkte und Prozesse zur Nutzung von Biomasse übertragen werden. Darüber hinaus werden die methodischen Ergebnisse in wissenschaftlichen und industriellen Fachzeitschriften publiziert und finden Eingang in die Lehre des Institutes.
ADAMANT is an ambitious professorship program aimed at understanding and modeling, at a coherent level of detail, coupled Alpine environmental processes in the mountain, piedmont and lowland. The hypothesis is that such an understanding will provides fundamental insights to the (non-traditional) use of water in the riparian ecosystem, and therefore explain why and how changes in river hydrology due to water impoundment will affect the riparian biodiversity across space and time scales. These points define the research objectives targeted by ADAMANT: 1. The assessment of the origin and the role of nonlinearities in the routing dynamics of glacierized basins, and related linkages to the probabilistic behaviour of equilibrium snowlines; 2. The experimental definition of (objective) benefit functions for the use of water by the riparian environment in relation to the statistical effects of both floods and moderate flows; 3. The (analytical and numerical) solution to the optimal water allocation problem between traditional and non-traditional water uses under changing scenarios such climatic, economic, operational. The project ADAMANT will accordingly be carried out in 3 interconnected research modules involving 2 Ph.D's and one Postdoc. The work foreseen in ADAMANT will account for field monitoring campaigns and experiments, linear and nonlinear data analysis, and modelling of the above said mountain, piedmont and lowland processes. In particular, the mathematical modelling approach will be of minimalist type whenever a fully physically based (distributed) approach is precluded or not convenient to reproduce statistically significant long-term scenarios. In this manner, overparametrization due to excessive model complexity will be avoided on the one hand, and the model will remain mathematically tractable for the possible search of elegant analytical solutions, on the other hand. ADAMANT research goals are particularly interesting in a time when energy production from hydropower is still among the most used techniques, especially in glacierized basins of alpine countries. From a practical viewpoint ADAMANT will help define new operational rules and guidelines for Environmental Flow Requirements. Overall, this project will provide an integrated and sustainable water management study in impounded alpine riparian ecosystems, and in harmony with present and future countrywide plans of river restoration and renaturalization strategies.
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