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369 results
GROUNDTRUTHING ESTABLISHING A CITIZEN SCIENCE GROUNDWATER MONITORING NETWORK IN CAPE TOWN
The report describes the implementation of a groundwater monitoring network in Newlands and the Epping/Airport Industria areas of Cape Town. It combines desktop research from databases like WARMS and the National Groundwater Archive with field-based 'groundtruthing' via hydrocensus surveys of private borehole owners. The project identifies the geological characteristics of the Table Mountain Group and Cape Flats aquifers and deploys Solinst Leveloggers to track water levels. The findings highlight a significant increase in private borehole drilling between 2015 and 2019 and note concerns among users regarding water quality and the sustainability of abstraction levels.
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Document type: Report
Assessment of the impact of climate change and mining activities on streamflow and selected metals loading in the Chindwin River, Myanmar
The study models the impact of climate change and mining on the Chindwin River, finding that future climate scenarios are likely to reduce streamflow and associated metal loading, while identifying specific river segments with the highest concentrations of arsenic, mercury, and iron.
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Document type: Research paper
Aqueduct 3.0: Updated Decision-Relevant Global Water Risk Indicators
The document introduces Aqueduct 3.0, a framework that translates complex hydrological data into intuitive water-related risk indicators. It combines 13 indicators covering quantity, quality, and reputational risks into a composite score to help decision-makers identify high-risk regions or assets. The updated version features a new hydrological model with integrated supply and demand, surface and groundwater modeling, higher spatial resolution, and monthly time series data.
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Document type: Research paper
Status of Coal Ash Disposal Units
The document reports that 95% of regulated coal ash ponds are unlined, allowing toxic chemicals to enter groundwater. It further notes that 67% of reporting impoundments are within five feet of the uppermost aquifer and 92% of coal plants with available data have at least one ash pond leaking above federal safe drinking water levels.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Nature as Resilient Infrastructure: An Overview of Nature-Based Solutions
The document advocates for the integration of nature-based solutions (NbS)—including green and natural infrastructure—into U.S. national infrastructure planning. It highlights that NbS are often more cost-effective and resilient than traditional 'gray' infrastructure, providing significant benefits in flood mitigation, heat reduction, and carbon sequestration. The text provides specific economic data on the cost-savings of living shorelines and green storm drainage systems compared to concrete alternatives, while emphasizing the co-benefits of improved water quality and public health.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Floating Treatment Wetlands and Plant Bioremediation: Nutrient treatment in eutrophic freshwater lakes
The report evaluates floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) as a nature-based solution for eutrophication in shallow lakes. Through primary research at the IISD-Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) and a case study of Pelican Lake, Manitoba, the study demonstrates that FTWs—particularly those using cattails—effectively sequester phosphorus and nitrogen. While plant biomass contributes to nutrient removal, the report emphasizes that the microbial biofilm on roots provides up to 80% of the total treatment. For Pelican Lake, the study estimates that 5% surface coverage could reduce total phosphorus levels by 10% to 50%, though FTWs must be combined with watershed-level strategies to meet provincial water quality standards.
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Document type: Case study
Mining Project Rehabilitation and Closure Guidelines: Papua New Guinea
The guidelines emphasize that mine closure and reclamation should be planned from the early stages of a project to maximize beneficial outcomes, as opportunities for sustainable post-mining land use decrease over time. The document provides direction on the evolution of Rehabilitation and Mine Closure (RMC) Plans, financial assurance provisions, closure criteria, and community engagement in Papua New Guinea, aligning with APEC and ICMM standards.
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Document type: Guide
Additional comments to RAC on the biodegradability exemption proposed in the restriction on intentionally added microplastics
ClientEarth and ECOS submit that the European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA) proposed exemption for 'biodegradable' microplastics lacks sufficient scientific evidence to ensure degradation in real-world environmental conditions. They argue that current laboratory tests at 20°C do not reliably predict biodegradation at lower average temperatures found in nature, such as 12°C in soil and fresh water or 9°C in marine environments. The organizations recommend that no exemption be granted at this stage to maintain incentives for improving testing criteria. Alternatively, they propose a more rigorous framework requiring each polymer and substance in a microplastic mixture to be evaluated separately, with specific ultimate degradation thresholds of ≥ 90% relative to reference materials within defined timeframes for water and soil.
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Document type: Statement
Nature as Resilient Infrastructure: An Overview of Nature-Based Solutions
The document advocates for the integration of nature-based solutions (NbS)—categorized into green and natural infrastructure—as a resilient alternative or supplement to traditional 'gray' manmade infrastructure in the U.S. It details how NbS can mitigate coastal storm damage, inland flooding, and extreme heat while providing co-benefits like carbon sequestration and improved water quality. The text provides specific cost comparisons and case studies from various U.S. cities and states to demonstrate the economic and environmental efficacy of these approaches.
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Document type: Fact sheet
An Application of the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) Methodology in Sri Lanka: Assessing the economic value of restoring the ecological health of Beira Lake in Colombo
The SAVi assessment evaluates four restoration scenarios for South-West Beira Lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It finds that upgrading wastewater treatment facilities is the most cost-effective intervention, as it addresses nutrient inflow and eutrophication. The most significant economic gains are achieved by combining wastewater upgrades with dredging, which is projected to increase surrounding property values by USD 43 million and recreational spending by USD 19.5 million between 2020 and 2025.
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Document type: Report
An Application of the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) Methodology in Sri Lanka
The report evaluates four scenarios for the restoration of South-West Beira Lake in Colombo: business-as-usual (BAU), wastewater treatment upgrades, dredging of lake deposits, and a combined approach. The analysis finds that while dredging alone provides limited benefits, upgrading wastewater treatment offers the highest benefit-to-cost ratio (39.67). The combined scenario of wastewater treatment and dredging produces the greatest absolute economic gains, increasing property values by over USD 43 million and recreational spending by USD 19.5 million by 2025. The document recommends recognizing the lake as a tangible capital asset to facilitate blended financing solutions involving public authorities and private investors.
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Document type: Report
Coal’s Poisonous Legacy
The report finds that 91% of analyzed coal plants have unsafe levels of coal ash constituents in their groundwater. It highlights systemic failures in the 2015 Coal Ash Rule, such as the exemption of older dumps and inadequate monitoring of 'upgradient' wells. The analysis identifies the ten most contaminated sites in the U.S., noting that many impact low-income communities and communities of color. The authors argue that current regulations are insufficient and recommend regulating all ash dumps, requiring 'high and dry' storage, and increasing transparency and drinking water testing.
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Document type: Report
Geography Matters: Targeting "hotspots" for cumulative environmental benefits
This briefing describes the use of open spatial data to identify environmental 'hotspots' in Manitoba to optimize the allocation of limited resources for water quality, sustainable agriculture, and carbon sequestration.
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Document type: Briefing
Geography Matters: Targeting “hotspots” for cumulative environmental benefits
The briefing identifies three specific water-quality hotspots in Manitoba based on 2016 Census of Agriculture data: the Southwest Red River Valley (high fertilizer application), Southwestern Manitoba (high conservation tillage), and the Southeast Red River Valley (high non-incorporated manure application). It argues that spatial targeting of natural infrastructure, such as engineered wetlands, and beneficial management practices can maximize the efficiency of public investments to reduce nutrient runoff into Lake Winnipeg.
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Document type: Briefing
Climate Change Toolkit for Health Professionals
The Climate Change Toolkit for Health Professionals, published by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), is a comprehensive guide designed to empower healthcare workers to act as educators and advocates. It details the science of anthropogenic climate change, the disproportionate health risks faced by vulnerable populations, and the specific regional vulnerabilities across Canada. The document emphasizes 'health co-benefits'—the immediate health improvements resulting from climate mitigation, such as reduced air pollution from phasing out coal and improved cardiovascular health through active transportation. It provides a framework for health care facilities to assess their own climate resiliency and reduce their carbon footprints, while offering strategies for health professionals to engage patients, peers, and policymakers in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
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Document type: Guide
Climate Change Toolkit for Health Professionals
The document outlines adaptation strategies for various climate-related health risks in Canada, including extreme temperature events, flooding, wildfires, food insecurity, vector-borne diseases, and water quality issues. It provides specific examples of municipal actions—such as Toronto's green roof bylaws and Vancouver's warming centres—and offers actionable tips for health professionals to support vulnerable patients and advocate for resilient community policies.
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Document type: Guide
Boîte à outils sur les changements climatiques pour les professionnels de la santé
The document is a comprehensive guide for healthcare professionals to address climate change. It covers the science of climate change, its global and Canadian health impacts, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trends in Canada, and practical solutions. It emphasizes 'co-benefits'—where climate actions like promoting plant-based diets or active transport immediately improve public health. The guide provides specific strategies for making healthcare facilities more resilient and sustainable, such as reducing the carbon footprint of anesthesia and supply chains, and offers a framework for community-level adaptation and professional advocacy.
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Document type: Guide
Effectiveness of ecotechnologies in agriculture reuse: systematic map protocol
The protocol outlines a systematic search of academic and grey literature from 2013 to 2017 to identify ecotechnologies that recover or reuse carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in agriculture. The goal is to address the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea caused by agricultural nutrient runoff by creating a searchable database and an interactive evidence atlas to identify knowledge gaps and clusters.
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Document type: Research paper
Small-scale irrigation mapping in Burkina Faso
The report details the development and application of the Small-Scale Irrigation Mapping (SSIM) tool in Burkina Faso, designed to capture irrigation on areas smaller than one hectare. This high-resolution approach, utilizing 30-m Landsat 8 imagery and ground truthing, addresses the limitations of previous maps (250m to 1km resolution) and serves to validate the Targeting Agricultural Water Management Interventions (TAGMI) decision-support tool.
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Document type: Report
Tokenization of Infrastructure: A blockchain-based solution to financing sustainable infrastructure
The report argues that tokenization—the digitalization of assets into cryptographic tokens on a blockchain—can make sustainable infrastructure more bankable by lowering transaction costs and increasing liquidity. It highlights that sustainable projects often face higher upfront capital expenditures and perceived technological risks, necessitating innovative financing. The document also references specific sustainable asset valuation assessments in Mongolia and Colombia.
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Document type: Report