Das Projekt "Modeling of multiphase-multicomponent processes for the sequestration of CO2 in the subsurface - Workshop on Numerical Models for Carbon Dioxide Storage in Geological Formations (GEOTECHNOLOGIEN)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Stuttgart, Institut für Wasserbau durchgeführt. The aim of the workshop is to discuss the current capabilities of existing mathematical and numerical models for CO2 storage in geological formations. A key issue will be to focus model development on open questions and challenges which CO2 geosequestration faces. Researchers and engineers will be invited to present their work and point out next steps necessary in model development.Model testing with benchmark examples which are being developed in the project 'Numerical Investigation of CO2 Sequestration in Geological Formations - Problem-Oriented Benchmarks'will also be an important part of the workshop. The benchmark examples are available below. Interested modellers can test their models with the benchmarks and present their results at the workshop.The project mentioned above is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) within the geoscientific research and development programme GEOTECHNOLOGIEN (www.geotechnologien.de).
Das Projekt "The Influence of Corporate Responsibility on the Cost of Capital" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Schlange & Co. GmbH durchgeführt. Corporate responsibility (CR) issues have gained importance within the financial community due to the exponential growth of specialized institutes, expansion of academic and research departments, increased launching of mutual funds allocated according to sustainability criteria, proliferation of online resources and other publications, and specialized corporate responsibility reports. A closer look at the literature concerning the relationship between CR issues and financial measures indicated three major fields for improvement in this area: (1) the development of a common understanding of CR issues; (2) the measurement of CR performance; and (3) the question of how CR issues affect the risk profile of a company. Since a common understanding of CR cannot be constructed theoretically, we based our research on the frequently used triple bottom line approach, in which CR incorporates economic, ecological and social responsibility issues. When it comes to the field of measuring CR performance, there are already plenty of methods and frameworks. In this research we developed a unique CR rating scheme based on existing frameworks and using weighting factors from analysts and investors. The question of how CR affects the risk profile of a company led to the projects objective: to analyze the impact of CR on capital market financing with a specific focus on electric utilities, assuming that the lower the company risk, the lower the cost of capital. We hypothesized that there is a relationship between CR and financial performance (H1) and that good CR performance reduces the risk to a company (H2). A clear relationship between CR and financial performance was not found, but CR and financial performance were indirectly linked throughout company risk. This research delivers evidence that CR performance is strongly linked to financial risk measures. There is also support for the assumption that CR issues are likely to be regulation-driven. Regulation seems to be a driver for CR engagement in the utility industry. It seems that a complete lack of CR engagement exposes a company to unnecessary high risk.
Das Projekt "Mediation auf dem Pruefstand: Auswertung und Optimierung des Mediationsverfahrens bei Loesung von Umweltkonflikten" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von AGU - Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Umweltfragen e.V. durchgeführt.
Das Projekt "Biological ice nucleators at tropospheric cloud height" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Basel, Umweltgeowissenschaften durchgeführt. Biological ice nucleators (IN) are the most abundant agents to catalyze ice formation at warm temperatures (greater than -10 oC). Yet, the relevance of biological ice nucleation for cloud processes, such as initiating precipitation, remains ambiguous. Very little is known about abundance and nucleation spectra of biological IN at tropospheric cloud altitudes. Equally unknown is the relative importance of different kinds of biological IN in this part of the atmosphere, its likely change with seasons, with weather and air mass origin. In this project we address four major questions to shed more light on these issues: What are the abundance and nucleation spectra of warm-temperature ice nuclei (active between -3 and -13 oC) at tropospheric cloud altitude? Do abundance and nucleation spectra correlate with (a) season / weather, (b) source region and/or (c) aerosol number-size distribution of air masses? What are the relative contributions to the total number of IN by intact micro-organisms and by biological residues on soil dust? Do we find Pseudomonas syringae, currently considered the most ubiquitous and most efficient warm-temperature ice nucleus, in air masses with high numbers of IN active at warm temperatures? Field work will take place at the High Alpine Research Station Jungfraujoch located in the Swiss Alps at 3580 m above sea level. Air masses surrounding the station are presumed to be representative for the lower troposphere above the continent (more precise characterisation will be done with our two atmospheric 222Rn monitors at Bern and on Jungfraujoch (http://radon.unibas.ch/) as part of ongoing work at the institute, but outside the scope of this proposal). The station is frequently within clouds. To address our questions, air will be sampled over two years during a total of 18 weeks with liquid impingers and analysed at the station in drop freeze tests for abundance and nucleus spectra (Question 1). High-resolution transport simulations (FLEXPART) by our collaborator Dr. Stefan Henne (Air Pollution / Environmental Technology, Empa, Switzerland) will enable us to identify the main source regions (Question 2b). Data on number-size distributions of total aerosol during our sampling campaigns (Question 2c) becomes available through the collaboration with Dr. Ernest Weingartner (Head, Aerosol Physics Group, Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, PSI, Switzerland). Differentiation between bacteria, spores, and biological residues associated with soil dust (Question 3), and isolation of Pseudomonas syringae, (Question 4) is done in close collaboration with the group of Dr. Cindy Morris (Director, Plant Pathology Research, INRA, Avignon, France).
Das Projekt "ERA-NET RURAGRI: Ländliche Synergien und Trade-offs zwischen wirtschaftlicher Entwicklung und Dienstleistungen von Ökosystemen (TRUSTEE)" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von IIASA - International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis durchgeführt. Population and production locations, commodities, and flow of people are critical components of the relationship between economic development and ecosystem services. Such a relationship has three major unresolved questions: - Does an optimal spatial organisation of activities, leading to rural economic development while ensuring the provision of ecosystem services, exist? - How does one combine market mechanisms and policies to reach sustainable spatial allocation of activities? - Under which conditions do ecosystem services constitute opportunities for rural development? The trade-off/synergy dilemma between economic development and ecosystem services is one of the major issues of sustainable rural development. The main research objective of TRUSTEE is to disentangle the complex relationships between economic development and ecosystem services at different spatial scales. We will use an interdisciplinary approach that will involve economists, geographers, agronomists, and ecologists. At every step of the research process, we will involve scientists, experts, and stakeholders. In doing so, this research will also strengthen the capacity of a range of stakeholders to design sustainable strategies for rural areas. The sub-objectives are: - Analyse the multi-scaled determinants of economic development and ecosystem services on a large European gradient of rural and rural/urban areas. - Increase our understanding of how to achieve mutual benefits for economic development in rural areas and ecosystem services. - Identify and assess the governance mechanisms and policy instruments that enhance sustainable rural vitality in very diverse contexts. - Produce synergies among international researchers of varied disciplines and between researchers and various stakeholders at different governance scales. The key hypotheses are: H1- The dichotomy between rural and urban areas includes a wide range of diverse situations. The relative position of an area within an urban system, its form, and the intensity of its exchanges all impact its economic development. H2- Drivers of land use change, among agricultural, developed, and preserved areas, combine urban-rural interactions with global factors (e.g., new diets, trade), which, in turn, affect ecosystem services. H3- Characteristics of available ecosystem services can influence area development, particularly in the periphery. H4- Socio-economic drivers should be used to project future trends of ecosystem services. H5- We will consider, as much as possible, phenomena at multiple spatial scales, from local to global, and we will also consider interactions between various levels. H6- Market mechanisms, public policies, and governance tools are the central drivers. Rather than choose an a priori position on the relative efficiency of sector-based, place-based, and place-tailored policies, we will contribute to the debate by observing different policy designs and providing policy recommendations. (abgridged text)
Das Projekt "Globalization, Tourism and Nature Conservation in National Parks of Malaysia" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Zürich, Geographisches Institut durchgeführt. Malaysia is not only economically a leading country in Southeast Asia but also has an influential role concerning nature conservation in the region and world-wide. Processes of globalization (i.e. tourism, world economy, climatic change, cultural change etc.), however, change the context of nature conservation and the conditions under which the administration of National Parks has to operate. The research project sees National Park as arenas, where different and changing groups (i.e. foreign and domestic tourists, park administrators, local people etc.) meet and interact. Depending on the nature of these interactions, people (and institutions) can either benefit or they are faced with problems and constraints, especially if there are different notions about nature, conservation and what should or should not be done in National Parks. The proposed research project focuses on the following questions: - What are the concepts of nature and conservation of the different actors, groups and institutions that are interacting in the context of national parks? - What are the effects of the globalized paradigm of conservation on a local, regional and national level? - Is there a conflict of interest between tourism, the local use of environment and conservation needs? An important issue in the research project is to combine perspectives of outsiders (i.e. foreign tourists, visitors, researchers) with the one of insiders (i.e. domestic tourists, institutions, researchers). Therefore, a close collaboration with Malaysian institutions is planned. The project wants to contribute to a better understanding of notions about nature and its conservation in a rapidly changing globalizing world.
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