Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309211824
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 162
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Book Description
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon platform drilling the Macondo well in Mississippi Canyon Block 252 (DWH) exploded, killing 11 workers and injuring another 17. The DWH oil spill resulted in nearly 5 million barrels (approximately 200 million gallons) of crude oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The full impacts of the spill on the GoM and the people who live and work there are unknown but expected to be considerable, and will be expressed over years to decades. In the short term, up to 80,000 square miles of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) were closed to fishing, resulting in loss of food, jobs and recreation. The DWH oil spill immediately triggered a process under the U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) to determine the extent and severity of the "injury" (defined as an observable or measurable adverse change in a natural resource or impairment of a natural resource service) to the public trust, known as the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA). The assessment, undertaken by the trustees (designated technical experts who act on behalf of the public and who are tasked with assessing the nature and extent of site-related contamination and impacts), requires: (1) quantifying the extent of damage; (2) developing, implementing, and monitoring restoration plans; and (3) seeking compensation for the costs of assessment and restoration from those deemed responsible for the injury. This interim report provides options for expanding the current effort to include the analysis of ecosystem services to help address the unprecedented scale of this spill in U.S. waters and the challenges it presents to those charged with undertaking the damage assessment.
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309288452
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 247
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Book Description
As the Gulf of Mexico recovers from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, natural resource managers face the challenge of understanding the impacts of the spill and setting priorities for restoration work. The full value of losses resulting from the spill cannot be captured, however, without consideration of changes in ecosystem services-the benefits delivered to society through natural processes. An Ecosystem Services Approach to Assessing the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico discusses the benefits and challenges associated with using an ecosystem services approach to damage assessment, describing potential impacts of response technologies, exploring the role of resilience, and offering suggestions for areas of future research. This report illustrates how this approach might be applied to coastal wetlands, fisheries, marine mammals, and the deep sea-each of which provide key ecosystem services in the Gulf-and identifies substantial differences among these case studies. The report also discusses the suite of technologies used in the spill response, including burning, skimming, and chemical dispersants, and their possible long-term impacts on ecosystem services.
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309440378
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 220
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Book Description
Gulf Coast communities and natural resources suffered extensive direct and indirect damage as a result of the largest accidental oil spill in US history, referred to as the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Notably, natural resources affected by this major spill include wetlands, coastal beaches and barrier islands, coastal and marine wildlife, seagrass beds, oyster reefs, commercial fisheries, deep benthos, and coral reefs, among other habitats and species. Losses include an estimated 20% reduction in commercial fishery landings across the Gulf of Mexico and damage to as much as 1,100 linear miles of coastal salt marsh wetlands. This historic spill is being followed by a restoration effort unparalleled in complexity and magnitude in U.S. history. Legal settlements in the wake of DWH led to the establishment of a set of programs tasked with administering and supporting DWH-related restoration in the Gulf of Mexico. In order to ensure that restoration goals are met and money is well spent, restoration monitoring and evaluation should be an integral part of those programs. However, evaluations of past restoration efforts have shown that monitoring is often inadequate or even absent. Effective Monitoring to Evaluate Ecological Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico identifies best practices for monitoring and evaluating restoration activities to improve the performance of restoration programs and increase the effectiveness and longevity of restoration projects. This report provides general guidance for restoration monitoring, assessment, and synthesis that can be applied to most ecological restoration supported by these major programs given their similarities in restoration goals. It also offers specific guidance for a subset of habitats and taxa to be restored in the Gulf including oyster reefs, tidal wetlands, and seagrass habitats, as well as a variety of birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals.
Author: Ph.D., Stephen A. Bortone
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1466588314
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 321
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Book Description
Interrelationships Between Corals and Fisheries is derived from a workshop held by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in Tampa, Florida in May 2013, where world authorities came together to discuss the current problems in managing tropical fisheries and offered suggestions for future directions for both researchers and environmental reso
Author: Kristoffer Svendsen
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004548343
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 541
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Book Description
This book is an essential contribution to understanding Russian law for English speakers. In a time when the energy markets in Europe are changing away from Russian dependence on oil and gas, Dr Svendsen explains what the legal consequences will be if we would experience cross-border harm as a result of an oil spill from offshore installations on the Norwegian and the Russian side of the sea border in the Barents Sea. This book examines Russian and Norwegian rules governing liability, choice-of-law, recognition and enforcement, damage, third-party losses, environmental harm, and valuation of environmental harm.
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030909318X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 291
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Book Description
Nutrient recycling, habitat for plants and animals, flood control, and water supply are among the many beneficial services provided by aquatic ecosystems. In making decisions about human activities, such as draining a wetland for a housing development, it is essential to consider both the value of the development and the value of the ecosystem services that could be lost. Despite a growing recognition of the importance of ecosystem services, their value is often overlooked in environmental decision-making. This report identifies methods for assigning economic value to ecosystem servicesâ€"even intangible onesâ€"and calls for greater collaboration between ecologists and economists in such efforts.
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030929889X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343
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Book Description
U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area that is usually ice covered for much of the year, but is increasingly experiencing longer periods and larger areas of open water due to climate change. Sparsely inhabited with a wide variety of ecosystems found nowhere else, this region is vulnerable to damage from human activities. As oil and gas, shipping, and tourism activities increase, the possibilities of an oil spill also increase. How can we best prepare to respond to such an event in this challenging environment? Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment reviews the current state of the science regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment in the Arctic region north of the Bering Strait, with emphasis on the potential impacts in U.S. waters. This report describes the unique ecosystems and environment of the Arctic and makes recommendations to provide an effective response effort in these challenging conditions. According to Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment, a full range of proven oil spill response technologies is needed in order to minimize the impacts on people and sensitive ecosystems. This report identifies key oil spill research priorities, critical data and monitoring needs, mitigation strategies, and important operational and logistical issues. The Arctic acts as an integrating, regulating, and mediating component of the physical, atmospheric and cryospheric systems that govern life on Earth. Not only does the Arctic serve as regulator of many of the Earth's large-scale systems and processes, but it is also an area where choices made have substantial impact on life and choices everywhere on planet Earth. This report's recommendations will assist environmentalists, industry, state and local policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of this special region to preserve and protect it from damaging oil spills.
Author: Sergi Nuss-Girona, Mita Castañer
Publisher: Documenta Universitaria
ISBN: 8499843093
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
The ecosystem services (ES) framework opens the door to common ground between ecology science and economics in facing the challenge of planetary sustainability. Application of the available methodologies and instruments reveals both the high potential and the controversies related to this new socio-ecological management approach. Feeding on the research, reviews and testimonies presented at the XV International Summer School on Environment (ISSE) of the University of Girona (2015), this proceedings book displays the main concepts related the ES approach and outcomes from case studies dealing with its operationalization. However, the ultimate goal of this crosswalk language remains; changing mentalities and raising awareness to the point of installing new socio-ecological values, leading society to economic models in which ES conservation is understood as subsistence premise and therefore an intrinsic component of profits. El marc de serveis dels ecosistemes ( ES) obre la porta a un terreny comú entre l'ecologia i l'economia de la ciència davant del repte de la sostenibilitat planetària . L'aplicació de les metodologies i instruments disponibles revela tant l'alt potencial i les controvèrsies relacionades amb aquest nou enfocament de la gestió socio- ecològica. L'alimentació en les investigacions, opinions i testimonis presentats a l'Escola XV Internacional d'Estiu sobre el Medi Ambient ( IESS ) de la Universitat de Girona ( 2015 ) , aquest llibre procediment mostra els principals conceptes relacionats amb l'enfocament d'ES i els resultats dels estudis de cas que s'ocupen de la seva posada en funcionament . No obstant això , l'objectiu final d'aquest llenguatge encreuament roman ; canviar les mentalitats i la sensibilització fins al punt de la instal·lació de nous valors socio- ecològica , el que porta la societat als models econòmics en què ÉS la conservació s'entén com a premissa de subsistència i , per tant , un component intrínsec dels guanys. El marco de servicios de los ecosistemas ( ES ) abre la puerta a un terreno común entre la ecología y la economía de la ciencia frente al reto de la sostenibilidad planetaria. La aplicación de las metodologías e instrumentos disponibles revela tanto el alto potencial y las controversias relacionadas con este nuevo enfoque de la gestión socio- ecológica. La alimentación en las investigaciones , opiniones y testimonios presentados en la Escuela XV Internacional de Verano sobre el Medio Ambiente ( IESS ) de la Universidad de Girona ( 2015 ) , este libro procedimiento muestra los principales conceptos relacionados con el enfoque de ES y los resultados de los estudios de caso que se ocupan de su puesta en funcionamiento . Sin embargo , el objetivo final de este lenguaje cruce permanece ; cambiar las mentalidades y la sensibilización hasta el punto de la instalación de nuevos valores socio - ecológica , lo que lleva la sociedad a los modelos económicos en los que ES la conservación se entiende como premisa de subsistencia y , por tanto, un componente intrínseco de las ganancias.
Author: Joshua Bishop
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136497129
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 282
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Book Description
This book is a product of the TEEB study (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity). It provides important evidence of growing corporate concern about biodiversity loss and offers examples of how leading companies are taking action to conserve biodiversity and to restore ecosystems. This book reviews indicators and drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem decline, and shows how these present both risks and opportunities to all businesses. It examines the changing preferences of consumers for nature-friendly products and services, and offers examples of how companies are responding. The book also describes recent initiatives to enable businesses to measure, value and report their impacts and dependencies on biodiversity and ecosystem services. The authors review a range of practical tools to manage biodiversity risks in business, with examples of how companies are using these tools to reduce costs, protect their brands and deliver real business value. The book also explores the emergence of new business models that deliver biodiversity benefits and ecosystem services on a commercial basis, the policy enabling frameworks needed to stimulate investment and entrepreneurship to realize such opportunities, and the obstacles that must be overcome. The book further examines how businesses can align their actions in relation to biodiversity and ecosystem services with other corporate responsibility initiatives, including community engagement and poverty reduction. Finally, the book concludes with a summary and recommendations for action.
Author: Jonathan M. Harris
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1315448513
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 584
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Book Description
Harris and Roach present a compact and accessible presentation of the core environmental and resource topics and more, with analytical rigor as well as engaging examples and policy discussions. They take a broad approach to theoretical analysis, using both standard economic and ecological analyses, and developing these both from theoretical and practical points of view. It assumes a background in basic economics, but offers brief review sections on important micro and macroeconomic concepts, as well as appendices with more advanced and technical material. Extensive instructor and student support materials, including PowerPoint slides, data updates, and student exercises are provided.
