Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

Gomes, Adriana Maria Silva; de Sousa, Paulo Sérgio Amaral ; Moreira, Maria do Rosário Alves

2023 Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

doi: 10.2478/environ-2023-0012

AbstractThis study examined the relationship between Environmental Performance (EP) and Financial Performance (FP) in the European food industry. The food industry is essential for population sustenance, but the rising population and the consequent increase in food production demand have implications for climate change. The aim of this study was to determine if businesses that consume water more efficiently and have lower CO2 emission intensities might experience improved financial performance. Financial and environmental data were sourced from external databases and company reports, and both quantile regression and correlation analyses were conducted. The results reveal that various sectors within the food industry exhibit different linkages between Environmental Performance and Financial Performance. Furthermore, our findings indicate that water use efficiency can significantly influence financial performance, either positively or negatively, while CO2 emission intensity did not exhibit a definitive impact on Financial Performance.

Dąbrowska, Dominika; Rykała, Wojciech; Nourani, Vahid

2023 Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

doi: 10.2478/environ-2023-0013

AbstractThe quality of groundwater in the source area of pollution depends on many factors, including the weather and hydrogeological conditions within the given area. Anassessment of water quality can be carried out based on data obtained from sensors placed in boreholes. This research examined the influence of air and water temperature, groundwater table position and precipitation on the value of electrical conductivity in groundwater in a selected piezometer belonging to the monitoring network of the Quaternary aquifer in the area of a waste landfill site in Tychy-Urbanowice in southern Poland. The influence of individual factors was checked by using twenty neural network architectures of a Multilayer Perceptron Model (MLP). Each of these indicated factors were selected as input variables. Ultimately, three neural networks were selected, which were characterized by the smallest validation and test errors and showed the highest learning quality. The significance of individual variables for the effectiveness of the model was checked using a global sensitivity analysis. Three selected MLP models contained seven to nine neurons in the hidden layer and used a linear or exponential function as the hidden and output activation. The maximum test quality was 0.8369, while the smallest test error was 0.0011. The results of the sensitivity analysis highlighted the important role of water temperature and water table position on the conductivity value. The obtained goodness of fit results of the models to the input data allowed us to conclude that the MLP was applicable to such forecasts and can be extended by the analysis of further factors.

Vasagadekar, Priya R.; Gargate, Anup V.; Patil, Yojana Y.; Raut, Prakash D.

2023 Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

doi: 10.2478/environ-2023-0014

AbstractThis study was an investigation into the carbon storage and sequestration of trees grown in the green spaces of Kolhapur city, Maharashtra. Urban gardens and green spaces, mainly considering big trees, have a great potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and to mitigate the impacts of climate change in cities. Total ten green pockets (gardens) were selected from Kolhapur city. This study was a sustainability initiative to inventory tree species from the green pockets and to assess their carbon sequestration potential for improved urban planning in the future. The above ground biomass (AGB) and below ground biomass (BGB) were estimated by a non destructive method. This included the measurement of tree height and diameter. A total of 29 species of trees were recorded during the study with a storage potential of 688.77 tons of carbon dioxide. Polyalthia longifolia was found to sequester maximum carbon dioxide (CO2) followed by Albizia saman and Mangifera indica. This research highlights the role of urban forests or green spaces and gardens, not only as ornamental and aesthetic plantations but also for mitigating the impacts of climate change at a local level. Well planned urban spaces and urban trees have a major role as green vegetation cover which can act as a carbon sink with high potential which will help in policy making and decision making in the future.

Rakowska, Rita; Stachurska-Swakoń, Alina

2023 Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

doi: 10.2478/environ-2023-0015

AbstractThe Eurasian beaver has a significant impact on biotic and abiotic resources, thus it is known as an “ecosystem engineer”. Currently, the beaver population in Eurasia is estimated at more than 1.4 million individuals due to successful reintroductions in many countries. The recognition of its impact on ecosystems is increasing every year, therefore this article summarizes the current knowledge of how the Eurasian beaver affects the local flora and vegetation in the area where it settles. Beavers initiate a transformation of their closest surroundings with the dams and ponds they create by forming wetlands, and the newly developed vegetation is richer in plant species than previously. Beaver activities lead to a decrease in local woody plant resources and an increase in the species diversity of herbaceous plants. Beavers also cause damage to agricultural crops when they feed on cultivated plants. Observed changes can vary over time and landscape scales due to local conditions and persistence of beaver occurrence. Understanding how beavers affect plants and vegetation may be helpful not only in the protection of the species itself, but also in better management of the areas where they occur.

Tuan, Nguyen Tran

2023 Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

doi: 10.2478/environ-2023-0016

AbstractThe process of urbanisation involves shifts in space and population, and other socio-economic factors, and has far-reaching effects on the use of urban land. Governing affects the process of urbanisation. This study aimed to compare the results of urban land use of two large cities in Vietnam, Hai Phong and Can Tho. To accomplish this, the research used input data from JAXA land cover maps and population data from GSO in order to compute indicators on the effectiveness of urban land use (ULUE) between the years 2000 to 2020. The results indicate that the amount of land used for urban development has increased significantly in both of these locations, whereas the amount of land used for rice cultivation and agricultural purposes has decreased. In particular, the proportions of these two types of land have a greater tendency to decrease in Hai Phong than in Can Tho. In addition, urban land use has not yet achieved efficiency in either of these localities; however, urban land use in Hai Phong demonstrates a significantly higher level of efficiency when compared to that of Can Tho.

Korinth, Bartosz

2023 Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

doi: 10.2478/environ-2023-0017

AbstractThe aim of this study was to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism sector in Europe, particularly on tourist spending on transport, accommodation, and restaurants. The data used in the study were sourced from Eurostat statistics for the years 2019 and 2021. As part of the research method, a cartodiagram was used to present the percentage changes in tourist spending in selected European countries. Additionally, an analysis of the percentage change in spending on transport, restaurants, and accommodation in 2021 compared to 2019 was conducted using the ggplot2 package implemented in the R programming language. The study results indicate a varied situation regarding declines in tourist spending in 2021 compared to 2019, with smaller decreases noted in Central European countries, suggesting greater resilience to the pandemic crisis. Despite the declines, Germany and France maintained the highest spending values in 2021, underscoring their key role in the European tourism market. Conclusions from the study suggest that tourism-related spending has a huge impact on the economy. A more thorough understanding of how tourists spend money during their travels, including during a pandemic, can help better tailor tourism offers to their needs. By implementing the recommendations in the article, countries can better prepare for future challenges, build more resilient tourism industries, and ensure sustainable growth in the postpandemic era.

Valdelamar-Villegas, Juan Carlos; Fajardo-Herrera, Reinaldo

2023 Environmental & Socio-economic Studies

doi: 10.2478/environ-2023-0018

AbstractCO2 is the main greenhouse gas due to the large volumes emitted by anthropogenic activities, which is why it is necessary to implement strategies that allow the identification of potential sources of CO2 emissions in order to design and implement strategies to reduce them. The aim of this research was to estimate the personal carbon footprint in the city of Cartagena. Through the use of a calculator available on the web and the use of social networks, the personal carbon footprint was estimated and its relationship with some sociodemographic and spatial aspects was characterized. The carbon footprint of the inhabitants of Cartagena varies between 0.4 and 17.6 TonEquivCO2 per year, in addition, there were no differences in terms of sex and age groups. On the other hand, the personal carbon footprint at the spatial level is relatively homogeneous, with a slight distribution of values greater than 9 TonEquivCO2 in the area where people with a lower socioeconomic status live. The results suggest the need to prioritize strategies to reduce the carbon footprint in these places.