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The problem considered in this paper is the need to step up the methodological and informational support for improving the environmental and economic efficiency and sustainability of natural resource management in the Kamchatka territory (Russia) and the adjacent marine areas of the Pacific Ocean.The object of the research is the natural resource potential of the research area.The subject of research includes: clarification of the composition, structure and system relationships of the main natural resource potential components of the region as the elements of natural capital; selection and adaptation of methods for evaluating elements of natural capital, as well as practical valuation of this capital.The purpose of the assessment is the identification of the comparative environmental and economic efficiency of possible environmental management strategies in the area based on the criteria of conservation/growth of the region’s total capital, as well as economic incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of the natural resource potential of this exceptionally rich, but still poorly studied region.As a result of research, an original open classification of economically significant resources of animate and in animatenature of the region and their assessment as natural capital has been developed.The novelty of the obtained methodological results is determined by the expansion of the region’s natural capital elements, the refinement of their structure and intra-system connections.New in the practical assessment of the region’s natural capital is the assessment of the economic services of terrestrial and marine ecosystems for the long term deposition and fossilization of organic carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-quality environment is becoming absolutely necessary not only for the health of the population, but also for the good functioning of the economy and the availability of natural resources. The aim of environmental policy and instruments of environmental policy is to ensure the required quality of the environment. Environmental aspects have become an essential part of the decision-making processes of developed European countries. Environmental management has not been implemented separately from other economic decisions, but has been gradually implemented in all economic sectors and spheres, at the macroeconomic level. In practice, also in environmental management there are characteristic tools often used in the process of achieving others - mostly economic and social goals. By appropriate selection and setting of these tools, as well as their suitable combination, there is possible to achieve also environmental goals. But there are also specific instruments of environmental policy. The use of environmental policy instruments is currently considered not only as a way of sustainable development building, but these instruments have a much broader economic, social and, in particular, fiscal dimension. Individual European Union countries strive to influence the quality of the environment, as well as to ensure social-economic development, using various combinations of economic, normative but also voluntary instruments. Using the environmental policy instruments is possible to implement the concept of sustainable development into concrete economic and social activities. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the use of selected environmental policy instruments in the European Union countries, in the context of sustainable development and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the impact of production factors on natural conditions and the environment of human life assumes a pronounced global scale. The level of exposure to technological factors and the degree of environmental degradation is the main problem of modern society. The sharply aggravated environmental problems set the task for science to comprehend the prevailing trends in environmental and economic development and to develop fundamentally new concepts for the influence of production factors on the development of urbanized regions of the regions. An important issue in the implementation of the concept of sustainable development of the city system was the identification of its practical and measurable indicators. In this paper, indicators of the city’s rank and size are considered as indicators of sustainable development of the city system within the framework of the Zipf model “rank-size”. A significant correlation with the linear model “rank-size” indicates, according to the authors, shows us a balanced growth of the city system in the region. At the same time, the development of urbanized territories is considered in the context of environmental problems that accompany this process. Many cities of the region are located in the zone of influence of industrial pollution of petrochemical complex enterprises. These enterprises concentrate and use a huge amount of substance and energy, which has a significant transformative effect on the environment surrounding the city. The greatest negative impact of industrial waste on the quality of the human environment is manifested in air pollution. The article presents an analysis of the dynamics of environmental pollution and the measures taken to clean up industrial emissions into the atmosphere over the past five years as part of the environmental program of the Republic of Tatarstan. The authors concluded that consecutive steps in the framework of the environmental program will contribute to the formation and sustainable development of the system of cities in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The society of the future will be more and more oriented towards the individual and his needs, which will be more and more complex and varied, in the context in which diversity, equal opportunities, creativity, transparency and flexibility will represent the most important values of the future society. In the future, the well-being of the world will increasingly depend on the capital of knowledge, and the challenge of perceiving and understanding the world will become major. The society of the future will be more and more oriented towards the individual and his needs, which will be more and more complex and varied, in the context in which diversity, equal opportunities, creativity, transparency and flexibility will represent the most important values of the future society. To generate, to transmit, to disseminate, and to recover are four verbs of action that underpin the activity of the textile sector considered a basic pillar of sustainable development of the E.U., but also the second largest polluter of the environment. In this context, the recovery of textile waste in a circular approach, to make an operational transition toward a circular economy and making of a Romanian model of the circular economy, based on the challenges and opportunities associated with this approach based on the principle of industrial symbiosis, is a strategic direction for research. Approaching the recovery of textile waste by using working tools obtained by mathematical processing and calculations on the migration index of fibers in the transverse structure of yarns are issues that will be addressed in the paper. By offering specialists useful working tools increases the degree of knowledge, anticipation in the efficient recovery of textile waste, in products with high added value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, political framework reaffirmed sustainable development as a central element of the international agenda and give a new impetus to the practical application of the global measures to combat the negative effects of human actions and for the environmental protection. Since mid 2010, petrol consumption in the transport sector has increased at a higher rate than in other sectors. The transport sector generates 35% of the total CO2 emissions. In this context, strategies have been adopted to use clean energy, with electromobility being the main directive. In this respect, the present work proposes a simultaneous approach to the two concepts with a particular role in the sustainable development of transport infrastructure, namely electric vehicles charging station and alternative energies. This paper examines the possibility of charging electric vehicles batteries with clean energy using wind resources. An isolated system was designed, dimensioned and simulated in operation for an electric vehicles charging station with wind turbine and as a solution for energy storage, two hypotheses are proposed: batteries and hydrogen technology. The energy system analysed in the case study is able to support with 100% green energy the demand of the electric vehicles charging station. The results were related to the energy, environmental and economic performance achieved. These indicators provide arguments in favor of the system that uses hydrogen technology because although the costs of this system type are extremely high, they provide the highest energy efficiency both in meeting the energy demands for the electric vehicles charging station studied, as well as in capitalizing on the potential of the primary wind energies available in the situation of the studied location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the theme has been studied for more than a decade, the green transformations of buildings are limited in practice and often new buildings, by large private or public estates, promoted and publicized it to gain public support. Is it possible to think about a widespread action to “green” our cities? If in other European countries the responsiveness to this issue is certainly greater, in Italy there is still too little attention on this topic (in facts some people seem to be still more focused on economic expenditure than on the environmental impact) and the presence of a historical/monumental building heritage can be a further issue, because it requires specific authorization process (longer times) and rises the level of the restoration project (costs). Neglecting the monumental heritage which actions (on a national scale) can “green” the big cities, starting from the maintenance of the building façades? The paper introduces, first, the new national ‘facade bonus’ that will be used to improve building façades, in a perspective of greater urban decorum, with a tax credit of 90% for the restoration and recovery expenses. Then, it analyses the current maintenance condition of private properties and some green façade solutions. Assuming widespread interventions in the form of extraordinary maintenance, it discusses – for a case study – environmental (water and CO2) and economic issues. At the end, it proposes some modifications to the recent national rules to facilitate interventions, awarding not just the simple redevelopment of the façades but, where possible, “green” actions on buildings to achieve the Strategic Agenda objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protection of groundwater against pollution is an important part of maintaining sustainable development. In addition to the impact of the anthropogenic activity, groundwater resources may be exposed to many different kinds of pollution e.g. during floods. In such areas, knowledge about spreading mechanism of pollutants can contribute to choose appropriate preventive protection e.g. hydrogeological, hydraulic, geotechnical or other different measures. The presented problem can be solved by finite element method in a horizontal plane. In a permeable environment, the spread of pollution mainly depends on the groundwater filtration rate. Solving of such problem is the accumulation of two different tasks. In the case of continuous pollution should be used stationary model to determine groundwater filtration rates and transient filtration model in the case of accidental pollution. Paper deals with a geotechnical groundwater protection measure against pollution - the cut-off walls. In the paper is analysed influence of the cut-off wall shape upon reduction of continual and short-time (accidental) pollution. Cut-off walls can be advantageously applied on reachable low permeable or impermeable subsoil and are economical, especially on continuous and repeated accidental pollution where pumping systems would be extremely energy intensive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integral part of an education and training for civil engineers (but not only theirs) is their practical training in the field of the sustainable land use. One of the components of the sustainable development and land use is the issues of previously used areas - the brownfields. In the years 2011- 2014 the Faculty of Civil Engineering, VSB - TU Ostrava was a coordinator of a project, which ensured short-term internships for students from different faculties of various universities in the Czech Republic. The students participated in the internships of various branches and specialization, the only common feature was their focus on the regeneration of the brownfield areas. The paper shows an evaluation of the realized internships as part of the Vocational Education and Training with the benefit of hindsight as well as in the longer time line, both from the part of the internship coordinators and from the part of selected students who mostly finished school and started work. The part of this paper is also the point of view of some organizations that provided the internship - their satisfaction or recommendations for improvement. The conclusion of the paper then forms a brief assessment of this interesting complement to standard educational subjects related to the sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

So far, a number of studies emphasized the role of the educational variable. Back in 1990, Romer promoted the idea that educated workforce has the potential to generate and implement new technologies and to stimulate growth. Higher education has become an imperative of the development of a global society. It is a society that bases its development on the rapid changes and progress that entails constant evolution of information and communication technology. This society has become a society of knowledge with the jobs that are increasingly becoming knowledge intensive and ensuring sustainable development of a society. The purpose of this paper is to give a detailed review of previous studies related to the so-called 'education led growth hypothesis' and review the existing empirical evidence to support the fact that education is one of most important determinant of economic growth of a country. The paper contributes to existing research in a manner that at one place summarizes previous empirical evidence on 'education led growth hypothesis' but also provides recommendations for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach of topic on sustainable development is a strong challenge for research and practical area. Related to this concept we remark multiple and various interest and, also, its use in all economic areas, in civil society, in quotidian life, in politics and strategies for development customized for each country. In essence, the sustainability concept was generated by awareness of need to solve economic, social and environmental problems occurred mainly in the last 30 years, as a direct consequence of the economic and social rapid progress achieved in almost all world's countries and in the European countries, too. We observed that in the East-European countries the policies and strategies of sustainable development are not similar to these of other European developed countries. Although the principles of sustainable development functioning are well known, disseminated and assimilated by corporate and administrative entities, it can be noticed that exist certain factors which disturb the implementation process and performance of sustainable development perceived as a comprehensive and complex concept. The present paper aims to identify the limitative factors and barriers for a real sustainable development achievement, through a critical analysis based on specific data as well as on causal explanations; we are interested to discover how is possible to eliminate the disruptive evidence and to highlight the recovery solutions. We propose to focus on East European countries from point related to sustainability implementation in real economic life of societies. The most of conducted papers have a strong theoretical character, the connection with practice being less obvious, due to: lack of interest, entrepreneurial concerns rather mercantilist, an inadequate indicators system. Our paper is based especially on qualitative arguments. Methodological, we use the analysis of concept significance in practical plan, and we associate the empirical ideas with arguments from analysis, synthesis and interpretation of sustainable development indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvement of methodology of natural resources management, evaluation of its application in a territorial innovation cluster. The paper proposes to separate a new responsibility zone in the sustainable development indices system and namely the nature utilization sphere. To characterize the sphere in metallurgy and metal consuming industry branches the author suggests a system basing on indices of metal stock formation and utilization. The paper separates sets of general, extensive and intensive indicators. For the first time the method basing on cycling process of metal stock utilization and its apparent annual consumption is proposed. The application of this methodological approach in one of metallurgy branches has allowed to compare metal stock formation and consumption under different versions of metallurgic production :in a territorial innovation cluster and without it. The substantial improvement of indices within the cluster has been demonstrated: the share of secondary raw materials in metal stock formation increased by 25%. The natural resources management has a paramount importance for material consuming production utilizing initial raw materials such as metallurgy . Separation of a new responsibility sphere and elaboration of metal stock and indices of its formation and application makes it possible to perform a through evaluation of resources utilization (from initial raw material up to finished products) and to propose recommendation for their improved utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is descriptive in nature and it is an attempt to recall the most probable scenarios of transport development in Poland against the background of other countries of the European Union. Having in mind the implementation of the EU assumptions associated with rationalization of energy consumption management and an increase in energy efficiency in motor transport in the time perspective, the premises have been the assumptions of the concept of sustainable development. There are two parts of the paper. In part 2 of the paper there was investigated as a scenario for European Union logistics development, associated by the effects assessment of the transport growth in future, particularly the impact on freight transport achievements. Moreover the reference scenario and modernization scenario for Polish transport were analyzed. Pro-environmental aspects of motor transport considered as the most burdensome for the natural environment, mainly referring to energy consumption management, were presented in the recalled transport development scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is descriptive in nature and it is an attempt to recall the most probable scenarios of transport development in Poland against the background of other countries of the European Union. Having in mind the implementation of the EU assumptions associated with rationalization of energy consumption management and an increase in energy efficiency in motor transport in the time perspective, the premises have been the assumptions of the concept of sustainable development. There are two parts of the paper. Part 1 of the paper includes literature review focused on concept of sustainability, transport development and management area, as well as characteristics of road transport in European Union and Poland based on statistics data. The analysis of transport activities is founded on the environmental aspects. Particularly transport-related emissions, energy consumption management in road transport and the contribution of transport sector in energy expenditure in selected countries of the European Union in the past and nowadays were considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The further development and existence of civilisation is significantly dependent on ecological awareness and the related actions undertaken by individual countries. The rapid and unprecedented economic growth of the 19th and 20th centuries has resulted in a significant imbalance of the natural environment. One of the more important consequences of this growth is the emission of large amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. This leads to soil, water, and air contamination, thereby negatively affecting the health and life of all living organisms inhabiting our planet. It is therefore reasonable to determine which countries contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants within the European Union, and to what extent. This analysis was carried out for six gases, including three greenhouse gases and two types of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Countries were grouped in terms of similarity of emissions. The purpose of the research presented in this paper was to objectively analyse the emission of the substances in question with respect to the particular European Union (EU) countries, and to determine how emissions changed over the analysis period. The inclusion of 9 substances and the long time horizon adopted in the comparative analysis also make it possible to assess the actions undertaken by the particular countries. At the same time, the division of the countries into similar groups paves the way for an exchange of experiences and joint actions aimed at the improvement of environmental quality. Analysis was performed using Kohonen’s neural networks. Additionally, relationships were determined between the emission values for the selected pollutants in particular countries in the analysis years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biophilia should be understood as a love for nature. Although the term is not new and appeared in the 70s, it is only now gaining popularity. This happens when humanity noticed that progressing technologization and urbanization leads to the breakdown of direct contact with nature, which may result in problems with good psychophysical condition of a human being. Considering biophilia in the context of architecture is therefore extremely important. In this approach, it is understood as the dependence of man on nature, which goes far beyond the reliance on the material and physical perception of the world. This dependence contains human desire for aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual experience and satisfaction. Biophilic design means, therefore, the search for a connection between people and nature, and architecture should be perceived in a more emotional way than merely physical. This reception takes place through our senses using all of them, not just sight. The importance of biophilia in the field of architecture was popularized by Dr Stephen R. Kellert, whose scientific and research activity deepened the subject of relationships between people and the natural world. The paper presents the most important assumptions of biophilic design with an indication of their specific applications in contemporary library buildings. It is in the libraries that for centuries have been the most important centers of urban culture, the author sees the greatest potential and at the same time a model example for promoting people well-being and healthy values of architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper mainly considers payments for Negative Environmental Impact as an instrument of economic mechanism of stimulating rational nature management and ensuring ecological and economic security. The authors suggest ways of improving the economic mechanism to stimulate environmental management, in particular, the directions of enhancing the incentive function of payments for Negative Environmental Impact (NEI) for the purposes of sustainable development. The authors have developed the system of fines purposed for intended use in the environmental sphere and calculated on the basis of technogenic load on the environment and public health. They treat this system as one of the possible solutions to the issues posed in the present study, which can be implemented in the regions characterized by anti-sustainable development. Environmental and economic index is suggested as an indicator of sustainable development of a region, the value of health risk for the population being affected by the impact area is suggested as an indicator of anthropogenic load from the activities of industrial enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the development of a sustainable society and an active approach to environmental protection, it is essential to focus on building energy efficiency and its increasing. Within the member states of the European Union, the process of increasing the energy performance of buildings is ensured by increasing the requirements for new buildings through legal and technical standards. This process is supported financially by various EU funding programs. One of the useful helpers in spreading awareness of the energy performance of buildings and at the same time being interested in building it is the ease and availability of information about building parameters in which people live or own. Information technology that is closest to contemporary human beings compared to information brochures or publications in paper form may be helpful to achieve that goal. This contribution provides insight into the possibilities of freely available resources and tools in the Slovak Republic, which can help owners or residents of older homes to informally calculate the energy performance of a home. Through these freely available resources and tools, in particular, the lay public can easily and freely obtain information about the characteristics of their homes in the Slovak Republic and at the same time find out how it would be possible to reduce the costs of consumed energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green economy, green growth and sustainable development are currently very often used terms. There are many international organizations intensively involved in the field of green growth and sustainable development. Green growth, according to the OECD, is a way how to support economic growth and development, while protecting natural resources, so that we could continue to use the natural resources and environmental services, on which our prosperity depends. One of its aims, especially in developed countries, is green economy building and ensuring social and economic sustainable development. However, it is not always clear how to build a green economy or achieve social and economic activities in the sense of sustainable development. The European Union is a cluster of relatively homogeneous countries, based on similar social and economic development. Ensuring green growth and sustainable development should be a common, coordinated and targeted activity of all European Union countries. The main aim of the paper is to evaluate green growth and sustainable development in the European Union countries using the selected indicators of green growth and selected indicators of sustainable development, including assessment of interregional disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes and summarizes the main results of Technological and Non-technological Eco-innovations performance through the investment planning framework and gives comprehensive overview of one of European Union Investments planning case in one of the Baltic States. The used methods: scientific literature and legislative documents analysis show the planned and called investments overview during the 2014-2020 financial planning period and explicitly outlines the fields of investment planning attractiveness into the areas of process modernization, equipment replacement, technology changes, recycling and waste production in field of Technological innovations as well as standardization of processes, environmental audits and eco-design in field of non-technological innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining has been for centuries the main economic activity in the Apuseni Mountains of Transylvania, NW of Romania. However, due to the low level of productivity and high production costs, the extractive industry became over the last twenty years one of the large uncompetitive sectors of the Romanian economy. The study area is one where mining activities have impacted both the environment and the social and economic state of the region and it comprises three mining areas located in Alba County: Baia de Arieş Mining Area; Abrud – Roşia Montană – Roşia Poieni Mining Area and Zlatna - Almaşu Mare Mining Area, totaling approx. 30,000 people. The main ores exploited in the study area were gold, silver and polymetallic ores, with only one copper mine open at present. The paper presents a comparative vulnerability analysis of the three mining areas, taking into account vulnerability indicators from the environmental and socio-economic aspects of the studied area. The findings indicate vulnerability levels varying from low to high, depending on the specificities of the area, the high values being accounted for by the long history and the extent of mining operations. The socio-demographic indicators contribute most to the increased vulnerability levels, because of the high demographic dependency rate, high demographic aging, and high migration rate. The economic aspects and environmental issues add to the overall vulnerability, hence sustainable development issues need to be tackled in the entire mining perimeter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population growth in coastal areas worldwide call for new challenges to be solved. Blue growth initiatives are elaborated and developed in order to prevent sea resources depletion unsustainably by fishing, mining, transportation, tourism, and waste. The EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), EU Groundwater Directive (2002/118/EC) as well as EU Waste Framework Directive (2006/12/EC) are the legislative tools that base the pillars for more detailed action plans that prevents contamination spread, promote clean-up and drives us to sustainable solutions. In EC there are Joint Research Centre (JRC) for Land Management and Natural Hazards Unit to encourage the development and broader use of environmental technologies, including environmental remediation technologies. This paper aims to give different best practices to solve individual cases similarly as in The Network for Industrially Contaminated Lands in Europe (NICOLE), The European Coordination Action for Demonstration of Efficient Soil and Groundwater Remediation (EURODEMO) projects decades ago which also promoted cost-effective soil and groundwater remediation technologies, unifying efforts for joint European Sustainable Development Strategies. Baseline studies and pilot scale test-fields were developed in Baltic Sea Region with Triple helix approach that implements collaboration among stakeholders (firms, authorities and scientists). Interregional collaboration projects on Blue Economy and Sustainable Growth such as “Reviving Baltic Resilience” (RBR), “Enhancement of Green Infrastructure in the Landscape of Lowland Rivers” (ENGRAVE), “Baltic Beach Wrack - Conversion of a Nuisance To a Resource and Asset” (CONTRA) as well as Swedish Institute knowledge exchange project LASUWAMA are just a few examples how to disseminate good practices and implement in local and regional levels. Sustainability and circular economy are steps forward to green innovation revolution [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecotourism is one of the most rapidly developing new forms of the tourism industry which started to gain ground considerably by the end of the 20th century. This is the new trend in promoting a conscious and sustainable form of tourism with regards to the inherited natural environment and which promotes education, protection and preservation of the natural environment, economic growth and social development of the local communities. Thus in this paper we would like to present some of the aspects of the actual state of the ecotourism trends and forms in the Giurgeu Depression and how the natural protected areas and their ecotouristic exploitation should play a much vital place in the life of the local communities and how these are or could be integrated in the tourism offers of the area. The Giurgeu Depression is one of two intra-mountainous depressions and is located in the central part of the country and in the central-western part of the Eastern Carpathians Central Compartment. The Giurgeu Depression subunit developed on the upper course of the Mures Rives on approximatively 50 km in length and 12 km in width. It has north-west south-east orientation. Genetically the regional system Giurgeu has a very complex origin (tectonic, volcanic barrier and due to erosion), proven by the very steep slopes and lithological faults which delimit them, together with the piedmonts and low terraces from the peripheries. It has sunken compartments, segmented by the Neogene volcanic mountain chains of Căliman-Gurghiu from the crystalline-Mesozoic and flysch ranges of the Moldo-Transylvanian Carpathian mountain chains. The area being an intra-mountainous depression, has preserved many characteristics and remnants of the last glacial age, with endemic species of plants and animals. The Giurgeu Depression is very rich in such places, several of which after the year 2000 were declared by law natural protected areas. These natural protected areas are: Șugău Cave (Suseni), Piemontul Nyíres from Borzont (Joseni), Mlaștina cea Mare Swamp (Remetea), Mlaștina După Luncă Swamp (Voslabeni), Thermal Waterfall Toplița (Toplita), published in the Monitorul Oficial of Romania Nr. 152 from 12th April 2000, Law Nr.5 from 6th March in 2000. Ecotourism in the area is gaining ground and is becoming a form of tourism which will help protect the endemic and endangered floristic and faunistic wealth for which reason this area is rightfully renowned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental restrictions get every day more demanding; therefore, energy policies focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, setting clear targets relative to the renewable energy contribution in meeting electricity demand. Thus, the global tendency towards fossil fuel replacement by renewable energy sources (RES) is progressively sharpening. Sustainability of power systems with high renewable energy penetration rates is a topic of major interest, especially considering the intermittency of RES production and the actual growing trend of energy consumption. Addressing such a complex concept requires particular designs approaches, taking into account several points of view (technical, economic, social). In accordance with the established objective (certain performance or quality indexes), multiple criteria should be selected and assessed so that the final project achieves long term sustainability. In the context previously described, design, operation and control of power systems are Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) processes and follow particular algorithms. This paper presents first a brief introduction, followed by a description of the most used MCDM algorithms for RES integration in power systems. Further, a case study is detailed, applying the above-mentioned algorithms to a small-scale system, comprising RES generating components and storage elements. Results are compared and discussed in the Conclusions section, highlighting also the different weights of each criterion in the final result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The context of the accelerated fall in global cumulated oil reserves with an increase in annual oil consumption was the opportunity for the development and production of green cars. This paper aims to study the link between the sale of ecological vehicles and its impact on the pillars of sustainable development, respectively the social, environmental and economic pillar. This way we can identify a number of factors limiting the sale of ecological vehicles. Although these factors are analyzed in other countries of the European Union, they are related to the economic specificity, the gross domestic product and the purchasing power generally existing in Romania. Solutions used in other EU countries can not be applied without having similar conditions. Our country's energy dependence has increased from 58.5% in 2010 to 62.4% in 2015, requiring us to look for sustainable solutions to reduce CO2 production in transportation. Increasing the number of electric cars can be an important solution in the context of global climate change and the alarming increase in greenhouse gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development has been conceived as a solution to the ecological crisis caused by the intense industrial exploitation of resources and the continuous degradation of the environment and seeks primarily to preserve the quality of the environment. Sustainable development also brings to the forefront a new set of values that will guide the future model of economic and social progress, values that focus on man and his present and future needs, the natural environment - protecting and preserving it, and mitigating the current deterioration of ecosystems. Thus, the transfer of water between river basins can develop energy activities with major economic impact, protects flood-related areas, creates places work in hydro-technical constructions, etc. at the same time, financial resources are consumed which can affect investments in other economic and social sectors. Water policy has to be integrated with national economic policy and national sectoral policies whose impacts on the environment in general and water in particular need to be highlighted through specialist studies. The water resource planning and development programs produce important macroeconomic effects. The paper aims to highlight both the principles and the concept of integrated water resources management of the Romanian Mures hydrographic basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the topic of interest concerning dwelling conditions, the issues of the residential housing stock, of the large scale collective dwellings impaired by wear and tear, have been given a lot of attention in Western Europe, since the 8th decade of the last century. The rehabilitation of collective housing ensembles has become a major contemporary concern, requiring answers and solutions on a list of priorities, all the more so in the former communist countries, where the urban housing is mostly represented, for economic reasons, by the dense, large scale collective residential ensembles. Alongside the other components of the sustainable rehabilitation projects i.e., technical and constructive, architectural and urban, in an integrated and multidimensional approach, the psycho-social component cannot be minimised or ignored. The paper's objective is to define, develop and, finally, propose an holistic approach to intervention in the existing collective residential buildings in view of their sustainable rehabilitation, from a multidimensional architectural urban, socio-economic and ecologic perspective, through differentiated levels: from that of primary, basic residential units (apartments), to the group they are aggregated into (architectural object) and to the housing ensembles. The paper is not aimed only at physically renovating the architectural and urban components; its implicit objective, through the proposed measures, being to revitalize and regenerate the residential areas from a psycho-social perspective, as well, by limiting social segregation, stimulating microcommunity sociability, creating a beneficial, secure environment, enhancing life quality and dwelling satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the suggesting the appropriate possibilities of new usage for previously used areas - so-called brownfields. Their further usage often contributes to reducing excessive detracting of agricultural land so that built-up and other occupied areas cannot extremely expand. That is one of the preconditions leading to the fulfillment of principles for the environmental pillar of sustainable development of the region. The Czech legislation provides an implement in the form of a master plan, which are the essential territorial-technical documents used to design an optimal usage of a region, especially an agricultural land with regard to future economic and social needs of society. For the purposes of its processing, there are done analyzes of a present state of the region so-called Planning Analytical Materials. The presented document is aimed in describing the practices of elaborating these data in several municipalities of a selected county and it evaluates their subsequent applicability. In the conclusion there are proposed ways of an optimal solution for the brownfields usage, so as to preserve the greenfields maximally. At the same time there are added graphs in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water represents the natural wealth of the state. It is the important raw material with strategic meaning, irreplaceable component of environment and all living ecosystems, but also the raw material entering to all technological processes and it is the limiting factor of sustainable development of regions and all society. Regarding its sensitive predisposition to vulnerability, as well as from the reason of incoming climatic change and its anticipated negative impact on environment including water, it is necessary for the state to protect, maintain and preserve its water resources as the precious and irreplaceable raw material. These facts are clear in mission statement of the government of the Slovak Republic for the years 2012 to 2016, within which the government of the Slovak Republic declared, that will dedicate particular attention to the protection and improvement of the situation of waters, optimization of its usage and protection against harmful effects of waters, including flood management measures. The particular attention is paid to the protection and rational usage of mineral, medicinal and geothermal groundwater as well as to ensure sufficient supply and quality of waters for public and environmental services and entrepreneurial activities. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the possible impacts of the constitutional protection of water mainly with the connection to the prohibition of its export behind the borders of the Slovak Republic by means of different types of transport or by pipeline also in the context of international relations. The topic of this paper directs mainly to the area of constitutional law, however it has strong interdisciplinary character, as it intervenes into other areas of law, particularly into administrative and european law and therefore seeks multidisciplinary or international law exploration of the matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, biotechnology has provided a motor for environmentally sustainable production and for the development of a diverse range of innovative products. The potential economic and environmental benefits of biotechnology have created a growing strategic interest in bioeconomy. Bioeconomy combines highly research and knowledge intensive economic activities in agriculture, forestry and the food sector with the innovative use of renewable raw materials for material and energy use. This paper aims to study the potential for the further development of bio-based sectors in Latvia and main challenges the development of innovations in bioeconomy faces in Latvia and Baltic Sea Region countries. In this study, the authors have analyzed current situation in Latvia regarding bioeconomy development and have identified innovations fostering sustainable use of natural resources. The research finds out that bioeconomy innovations in the traditional biobased sectors such as agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fisheries, renewable energies, food and feed, pulp and paper, goes in line with the principles of sustainable development and thus it effects development of sustainable use of natural resources. This paper reviews the support systems for innovations in bioeconomy in EU and Latvia and studies the potential for the further development of bio-based sectors in Latvia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the general context of fossil fuels shortage and the global warming phenomenon, the efficiency of energy consumption has become a priority for every consumer category. Limiting the environment pollution and maintaining the energy and raw materials reserves for the generations to come are the main targets of all developments on increasing the energetic efficiency within the sustainable development context. Therefore, the European Union aims at increasing the energetic efficiency by 20% by 2020 [1]. Meeting this objective requires a behavioral change at the level of every energy consumer, so that we can benefit from the same quality of life while using less energy. To reduce the energetic intensity at national level, a wide range of economic policy instruments must be used, so that producers are encouraged to develop products and technologies that are energy efficient and respect the compliance requirements, while consumers must be informed and stimulated to purchase and use equipment in a rational and responsible manner [2]. Having said this, a very important area where increasing the energy efficiency is crucial is the street lighting, a huge consumer of electric energy worldwide. Street lighting is an essential public service offered by the public authorities for increasing road security, personal safety, public and private property safety and therefore, preventing criminality. The main criterion for evaluating the quality of modern and efficient lighting systems is by obtaining a comfortable and reliable public environment with minimum energy consumption. The paper presents the experimental results obtained by the authors based on modeling / simulating and testing LED-based street lighting equipment. The paper also includes a study that compares the energetic efficiency of lighting systems based on high-pressure gas discharge lamps with sodium and LED-based lighting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first phase of a study held in the context of the SECOSUD Phase II project, called "Conservation and equitable use of biological diversity in the SADC region (Southern African Development Community), which aims at promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable economic development in the SADC [1]. The development goal of the Project is to contribute to stop biodiversity loss by supporting the development of conservation strategies. An important step in developing conservation of biodiversity requires a successful groundwater protection. Conservation of biodiversity depends on groundwater needs strategies that allows for the use of groundwater in a way that is compatible with the persistence of ecosystems in natural area, such as Limpopo Transfrontier Park, in the Southern African Region. Groundwater is a key element n the SADC region Groundwater is the primary source of water for people living in the SADC region, because it is used extensively throughout the southern African region, including the Limpopo River basin, supplying a large percentage of water for irrigation, rural water supply schemes and mining. The province has limited surface and ground water resources. Most of the water management areas are severely stressed and many people still do not have access to the accepted minimum supply of water. The goal of the strategy is to make sure that the water resources of protected areas are managed in an equitable manner so as to ensure the long-term sustainability of those resources, in order to the continue availability and security of supply of suitable quality water for all consumptive users and for the needs of the environment. Crystalline basement rock is distributed extensively throughout Africa and underlies large parts of the semi-arid Limpopo Province in South Africa. The development of crystalline basement aquifers as a reliable source of water supply is notoriously complex, and groundwater occurrence is spatially highly variable. Some of the greatest groundwater needs occur in the region and groundwater is the only dependable source of water for many users. The aim of the study is to provide an assessment of the actual groundwater monitoring network and in consideration of the growing demand for water, there is a need to understand the effects of planting on water rescouces to estimate crop water requirement for the focus area, as last step of the methodological strategy. This paper would outline a methodology on where to focuse future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parking platforms required for the operation of different industrial, service, goods storing and manipulating companies, inside boarding houses, hotels, stores, gas stations, etc., are continuously and quickly developing, in close line with the development of economic activities and the construction field. The technical solutions applied to realize the resistance structures for these surfaces are very diverse and, in several cases, do not include a proper resistance calculation according to the traffic intensity and the characteristics of the vehicles which are to use the respective platforms, a freezing-thawing verification and a complete study concerning the collection and evacuation of surface water on the entire surface. The applied resistance structures contain road layers close to the minimum thickness stipulated by the technical standards in force, placed on a foundation ground that is often not prepared adequately because of maximum investment reductions. This conception, to which the lack of permanent, timely and proper maintenance is added, leads to situations where the platforms show several degradations short time after opening to service. The paper presents several general solutions already adopted or which are being implemented, in order to improve the long-term behavior of parking platforms, starting from the resistance calculations and freezing-thawing verifications, according to the standardized national methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most essential tools to protect nature, environment and biodiversity is to ensure the proper policy and environmental legislation in the creation of protected areas. Nowadays, green economy and environmentally friendly technologies play a major role for sustainable development. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed picture of the Romanian policy and environmental legislation regarding biodiversity and protected areas and to outline the importance of the institutional framework, global approach of the environmental issues, international and European law and the legislation and policy of national state in order to promote the establishment of protected areas. In this work, we included a documentary synthesis and an analysis of legal and institutional frameworks for biodiversity and protected areas. Romania is the only state in the European Union having five biogeographical regions (alpine, Black sea, continental, steppic, pannonian). Taking in consideration that Romania has a rich biodiversity and more than 22% Romanian territory is under Natura 2000's ecological network, institutional framework, policy and environmental legislation are the most important instruments to protect species, habitats and ecosystems and to maintain biodiversity. In the last decade the terrestrial and marine protected areas has increasing mainly under the influence of European environmental directives. The Romanian Natura 2000 network is composed of 435 sites under the Habitats Directive (Sites of Community Importance, SCIs, and Special Areas of Conservation, SACs) and 171 sites under the Birds Directive (Special Protection Areas, SPAs). Romania currently counts 19 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites), with a surface area of 1,156,448 hectares and three Biosphere Reserves including the Danube Delta, Europe's largest natural wetland. As a European Union member, Romanian environment legislation and policy is strongly influence by European law. European legislation in the field of nature protection has been compatible at national level mainly with the adoption Government Emergency Ordinance no. 57/2007 on protected natural regimes, natural habitats, wild flora and wild fauna, approved with amendments by Law no. 49 of April 7, 2011. In order to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of nature in Romania through legal instruments is necessary to create: an institutional framework in line with the new environmental protection requirements; sustainable use of natural resources; access to financial support; monitoring, evaluation and control of activities with environmental impact; public-private partnership, institutional and cross-border cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental Citizenship is a key factor in EU's growth strategy (Europe 2020) and its vision for Sustainable Development and Green and Circular economy. Significant behavior change amongst both individuals and organizations is required in order to meet Europe's sustainability objectives and climate change targets. At a general level, policies aimed at changing behavior have tended to rely on two aspects: the introduction of fiscal measures and statutory legislation or market-based measures. Unfortunately, relatively less attention has been given to ecological education and the possibilities for promoting pro-environmental behavior. Environmental Citizenship is not clearly defined and framed in relation to other concepts such as environmental behavior, environmental attitudes, environmental literacy, environmental education, environmental knowledge, awareness and sustainability, the environmental citizenship domain being very complex. Education plays here an important role being a fundamental instrument that contributes to behavioral changes within the society, which is ultimately translated into environmental citizenship. This paper will approach several formal and non-formal education factors that affect environmental citizenship in Romanian education sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper addresses the main strategic benchmarks of the urban water supply and sanitation systems. The authors have studied the results of the biggest Russian urban water supply companies operation for the last three year period. The indicators that were considered: financial profits, investments, losses of water, the structure of costs etcetera. The results were compared with world level parameters. Many companies have really effective investment programs. This activity is related with, on one hand, the forthcoming strengthening of environmental legislation starting in 2020 and, on the other hand, financial support instruments of government. In addition, key directions of development of water economy were analyzed. The socioeconomic development strategy of Russian Federation identifies the need to strengthen the role of private companies. That is why difficulties and pressures of some enterprises were revealed. Furthermore, the water supply industry in Russia is characterized by the modification of institutional administration system. In conclusion, the prospects of the water supply companies according to the improving legislation and state and regional policy in this field are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development strategy in tourism industry requires a complexity of processes which claim the combination of the economical, social and environmental factors, concreted in medium and long term progress of the tourism society. Generally, sustainable development follows the performance on three levels - economic, by increasing the development degree and resources development, ecologically through recycling and avoiding environmental and social degradation by increasing the number of jobs, re-launching the traditional professions. The paper highlights a study conducted in the Romanian hotel environment regarding the top management's opinion of introducing in the infrastructure optimization strategies elements leading to tourist accommodation structures with "Nearly 0 energy consumption". The identified methods by which a hotel operator can reduce energy consumption are diverse, innovative and possible to be implemented in stages. The results of the study can constitute a fundamental approach for the purpose and objectives of a consultancy project that can support the goal of hoteliers in Romania, supporting the reduction of energy operating costs, the introduction of renewable energy sources, and stimulating the behavioral schema of staff and customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is to identify and assess the sources of risk in the mining production planning process in terms of quantity and value in a hard coal mine. To implement this goal, the first part of this paper identifies sources of risk, the second part in turn describes preventative actions that the mine should undertake to minimize the risk during the mining production planning. The article makes use of deduction, mining production processes analysis and literature on mining economics. The internal sources of risk include: operational resources adequacy, geological and mining conditions, natural hazards, availability and adequacy of human and material resources, quality of raw material, costs of extraction, sustainable development rules and corporate social responsibility implementation and management effectiveness. The external sources of risk include: availability of energy resources (renewable and non-renewable), energy policy, industry competitiveness, energy resources prices, public promotion rules, cooperation with trade unions, environmental rules, decisiveness of local and regional communities and level of economic and civilizational development. The main conclusion is that, in case of each of the identified mining, economic and social risks in production planning, one must use comprehensive managing approach that covers the identification of risk, risk assessment, selection of instruments limiting the risk or its effects as well as risk control. The listed activities should be repeated and continued as these elements guarantee effectiveness of risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is devoted to a comprehensive study of the impact of rent received from energy resources on the economies of individual countries as a factor for the development of a balanced energy dialogue with the countries of the European Union. The research methodology consists of a three-stage sequential algorithm. The first stage is to calculate the absolute and relative profitability of extraction of energy resources. The second stage of the algorithm consists in clustering countries in terms of the level of dependence of the economy on rent from energy resources. The third stage of the algorithm is to determine the relationship between the degree of risk and the profitability of energy resources. The analysis made it possible to identify the inverse relationship between the level of extraction of energy resources and the level of economic development. As a rule, in countries with a low diversified economy, a larger amount of rent from energy resources is generated. It is established that a higher level of energy resources in the country does not affect the formation of a higher amount of rent. It has been proven that the greatest revenue per ton of production is observed in countries that are not among leaders in technological development of the economy and extraction. Thus, the level of reserves is not a key factor in the formation of rent. Moreover the global trend of the dependence of the economy on rent from energy resources has the cyclical nature and in recent years this dependence has been steadily decreasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is already a fact that at present a major source of obtaining competitive advantage is related to the green development of enterprises. Sustainability is an important element in the core values of the consumers belonging to the Millennial Generation, which is the most numerous living generation nowadays. In this context, all projects related to the implementation of sustainability respect the profile of this new consumer. In 1992, the European Union Ecolabel has been established for several types of products and services. At present, the criteria for obtaining the EU Ecolabel for European hotels are established in the Commission Decision no.175 of 25 January 2017. In the new generational context, this eco-label started to be more and more attractive in the last ten years. At present, 34% of the total licences for the EU Ecolabel, which represents the majority, are from tourist and accommodation services with almost 800 licences obtained by European hotels and campsites. According to the data included in the EU Ecolabel Tourist Accommodation Catalogue, more than 400 European hotels implemented the EU Ecolabel at present. In Romania, only two hotels are using the EU Ecolabel. In such context, the main aim of this paper is to demonstrate the economic advantages of the implementation of the EU Ecolabel for Romanian hotels. To that end, two qualitative research methods have been used: the literature review and the case study. The analysis starts with the presentation of the generational theory, shaping the profile of the Millennial consumer. A short SWOT analysis of the Romanian hotel industry is presented. After introducing the EU Ecolabel, several advantages for Romanian hotels are presented related to the implementation of the EU Ecolabel in order to raise the attractiveness of this label for the Romanian hotels industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of climate change and sustainable development, the discussion has been raised in the society about the long-term benefits and possible losses of different farming types. In the discussions about the future of the CAP, it has been stressed that tackling climate change and preserving the environment is the most serious challenge facing the EU, and the CAP must help by setting new goals to ensure that EU farming contributes meeting the international commitments on sustainability. The paper deals with the changes in farming types and the results of this process in Latvian agriculture since 2000. The analysis reveals that the development process of Latvian agriculture is dominated by the specialization strategy, the implementation of which is based on the increase in production volume, technological modernization and the concentration of an activity in a certain sector, and the economic benefits of which are justified by the economy of scale and the possibility to significantly increase the productivity of production factors, especially labour productivity. If mixed farming was characteristic to 53% of farms in Latvia in 2000, which utilized about 50% of agricultural area and employed 62% of total labour force, then, in 2016, mixed farming accounted only for 23% of the total number of farms, having 19% of the utilized agricultural area and 26% of labour force. There are clear economic benefits in terms of net value added per employed person in field crop specialization farms, which is the main specialization type in Latvia nowadays; however, the same farms also create much larger environmental burden in terms of the inputs per utilized agricultural area than mixed farms in Latvia. In the context of increased focus on sustainability, mixed farms can be an alternative for specialization, but with the understanding of their viability under different farming circumstances and models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the role of healthy and sustainable consumption is increasing in Latvia. This trend focuses on animal welfare issues, promotion of organic products and enhancing of local businesses' green competiveness. Owing to the growing demand for organic products, the number of organic farms in Latvia is increasing. However, not all local producers are aware of their marketing strategy's compliance with the real situation in the market. Today, customers' needs are more sophisticated and they are knowledgeable about organic product supply, thus market players have to operate in the conditions of growing competition and more precisely adapt their product positioning and marketing strategies to the value system of today's consumers. On the one hand, organic food market policies and labelling system complies with European Union approaches, but on the other hand, Latvian farmers pay insufficient attention to target-oriented marketing activities, often relying only to word-of-mouth marketing and personal selling, which in the age of digital economy are becoming less efficient. The paper presents an overview of the development of organic farming in Latvia and analysis of contemporary marketing tools for promotion of organic niche products on the example of organic beef products. Based on scientific literature findings related to various aspects of consumption and study conducted in Latvia on consumer behavior in internet, the authors suggest organic beef producers to take advantages of micromarketing strategy for promotion of their products in Latvia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russian Federation is one of the world leaders in coal mining. The Russian coal branch is one of the key industries of the Russian Federation. Currently the government carries out measures for restructuring of the Russian coal industry. One of the major factors of coal branch sustainable development is to focus on foreign markets in condition to meet the demands of domestic market. One of the priority directions of the Russian coal industry development is providing trade of hi-tech power product. Thus considering issues connected with Russian coal preparation and processing is of high importance. The system of enterprise value creation is presented as a value chain. Key links of value chain are activities forming competitive advantages of the enterprise. The value chain research allows to reveal sources of competitive advantage. The relevance of value chain creation of production of the Russian coal enterprises is caused by a large number of stages which coal has to pass in the process to be delivered to the market. The paper considers processes of coal preparation and processing as the most important factors of providing competitiveness of the Russian coal industry. The value chain of production of the Russian coal companies is created. The main links of the value chain are analyzed. The analysis of the main effects of coal preparation and processing having impact on the Russian coal value is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing public policies that result in decision-makers and citizens who are much more active when drafting, using, or pursuing how to implement strategies on proposed goals through sustainable development. Romania's National Strategy on Sustainable Development is based on the European Union Strategy for Sustainable Development with the set-ups set in Lisbon, and it is meant to be a binder for the elaboration and establishment of new public policies, which have the effect of changing the attitude of the society Romanian and decision-makers as well as citizens are much more active when drawing up, using or pursuing the implementation of strategies for the proposed goals through the application of Sustainable Development. This requires very good collaboration between civil society, the local community, citizens and social partners. The paper aims to achieve a harmonious correlation of the economic, social-cultural and ecological elements in establishing the sustainable development strategy of Oltenia basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to carry out the lignite extraction activity, the quarries in Oltenia basin occupy land areas, which before the exploitation had another destination. From the researches carried out it was found that the most occupied areas are the woodlands. The most affected will be Mătăsari locality with the neighboring villages (Brădet, Runcurel, Mătăsari, Croici), of which 341 households (274 households from Runcurelu village, 60 households from the village of Croici, 5 houses from Mătăsari and 2 households from Brădet village), a cemetery, a school, a church (all from Runcurel village), Motru town with the belonging villages - Roşiuţa, Ştirbet, Lupoiţa and Ploştina, of which, due to the extension of Roşiuţa and Lupoaia will have to be displaced by 103 households and a cemetery (belonging to Roşiuţa village), Cătănele commune, due to the extension of Lupoaia quarry, 96 households, a cemetery and a church (belonging to Lupoaia village) and Slivileşti commune, due to the extension of South Jilţ and Roşiuţa quarries will have to be displaced by 6 households (5 households from Ştiucani village and one from Miculeşti village). The paper aims at identifying the current and prospective stage of the areas affected by exploitation in Oltenia basin through a sustainable assurance [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity in Romania is based on obtaining it in thermoelectric power plants. On the territory of Romania there are thermoelectric power plants operating with different types of fuels (gaseous, liquid and solid). At present, the largest amount of electricity is obtained from solid-fuel in thermal power plants. Thermoelectric power plants are considered to be an important source of environmental pollution. These have negative effects on all environmental components. The technological processes from the combustion of certain materials in boilers results a significant amounts of slag and ash waste. Such industries that produce waste as slag and ashes as a result of the process are: obtaining electricity in the thermoelectric power plants. The biggest environmental problems raised by the thermoelectric power plants are air pollution and landscaping. In order to reduce the pollution caused by the slag and ash deposits, they should be ecologized upon completion of the slag and ash deposition process. In this paper will present methods of management of such areas upon completion to the reintroduction of the affected areas in the natural circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to the environment, the social and economic framework. In this paper we analyzed the phenomenon of climate change in the Danube Delta, Romania. In the first part of the study, we analyzed the causes and effects of climate change in this area and finally proposed some solutions to limit the effects of this phenomenon. As a research methodology we used the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the statistical data included in the Romanian Statistical Yearbooks and the European Climate Assessment and Dataset from 1961-2017. The phenomenon of global climate change has a direct impact on the Danube Delta, so the frequency of the drought periods alternating with the heavy rainfall has led to unprecedented variations in the Danube flows. The Danube Delta region has been exposed to an intense heating process in the last 56 years, detected both in annual and seasonal average temperatures and in extreme temperatures. For annual and spring and summer seasons, trends are statistically significant with slopes generally ranging from 0.30 to 0.53 °C/decade, respectively 0.25 °C/decade and 0.35 °C/decade for annual thermal averages, which is a relatively high growth rate compared to other regions of the country and the European continent. As far as rainfall is concerned, the region is the most arid in the country, with multiannual average quantities that are close to the limit of desertification. Some solutions to mitigate the effects of this phenomenon would be to promote the development of a low-carbon economy by taking action to adapt and reduce GHG emissions, develop climate change partnerships and funding instruments. We believe that this study is important for both professionals working in the economic field and for those who are concerned about environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a structural model of the smart farm to improve environmental protection. This model is based on a digital platform that integrates all the elements that participate directly or indirectly in decision-making into agricultural farm. An intelligent farm must manage optimally and efficiently in the spirit of sustainable agriculture and environmental protection the following components: agricultural lands, farm energy balance, inputs and outputs in accordance with the applicable regulations and environmental protection. Thus, this ensures mainly: - The optimal structure of agricultural crops and efficient rotation of these crops; - The optimized map of application of general inputs (chemical and natural fertilizers, etc.) - Optimization of the usage of the energy sources: tractor, electric power, photovoltaic energy, wind energy and other kind of renewal energy; - Optimization of the machinery (installed power, performant types, costs); - Optimization of the energy type, depending on activities, operations, etc.; - Energy efficiency through the use of combined resources; - Optimization of technologies; - Optimization of cost-benefit; - Framing into environmental norms; - Social responsibility. The informational elements and equipment are presented together with the sensors involved in development of an informational framework. Developing on a digital platform will be able to contribute to making decision and increasing the agricultural yield and environmental protection. At the same time, the platform can be a means of command and control of all components and equipment used in a farm. A special attention will be given to the next databases that can be as follows: - Traceability GIS databases: maps with the historic of cultures location, maps with the historic of agriculture yields; maps with the historic of nutrients and phytosanitary treatments distribution; - GIS databases with exploitations: yields maps; soil properties maps; maps with needed irrigations; maps and files for command and control of nutrients distribution and phytosanitary treatments using adequate equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposed paper analyzes an investment project implemented to create a complete, efficient, simple and sustainable Community waste management system for a number of settlements in the western part of Romania. The purpose of these actions is to create a functional intervention framework of the local public administration authorities in the field of environmental protection in the target area. The implementation of the system proposed by this project will lead to compliance with current environmental rules and legislation, will contribute to the achievement of the objectives identified in the Regional Waste Management Plan and will develop a specific model of action for the protection of the environment in general and efficient management of waste in particular. The National Waste Management Plan includes objectives, targets and measures in the short and medium term. However, actions with longer deadlines, such as 2020, are also found. They have been retained because a long-term vision derived from the implementation of certain directives such as storage, incineration, etc. has also been considered when drawing up the plan, taking into account the awareness of decision-makers and stakeholders on the need to continue implementing national and European legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development of the state or the city as a whole is conditioned mainly by the sustainable development of its individual parts which also include water management infrastructure containing the sewer system. The article deals with the evaluation of the technical condition of the sewer network in the municipality Zaben in the Czech Republic. The first part of the paper describes the basic information about the sewer network in the municipality, its location, condition, age, etc. This part is followed by the actual evaluation of the technical condition of the sewer network in the municipality. The sewer system in the municipality was divided into five sub-parts, consisting of 56 sections, which were individually examined regarding their technical condition. The actual evaluation is carried out using the method of technical indicators, based on a multi-criteria approach to the assessment of individual elements of the sewer network. All 56 sections are included in categories - from K1 representing a very good condition of the sewer up to K5 indicating a condition which is already inadequate or functionless. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The industrial revolution, dynamic economic growth and population growth in the world mainly affect to an increase in demand for electricity. The energy sector is responsible for 2/3 of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union is leading the global action against the climate change, both by planning international actions aimed at reducing global warming to the level of 2°C, as well as through its own commitment to very significant greenhouse gas emissions reduction. The decarbonisation of the electricity sector and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions adopted by the European Union in the climate policy 2050 affect the economic competitiveness of member states in comparison of the other countries where there are no emission limits. The aims of this article are: analysis of the energy mix diversity and the level of greenhouse gas emissions of the European Union Member States according to total CO2eqv and t/capita, analysis of the energy intensity of the Polish economy in relation to other European Union countries. This article identifies Poland as a country for which the adopted EU energy policy will have a significant impact on economic development. The paper presents the impact of energy consumption on the economy and its structure of energy production both in terms of efficiency of sources, their general condition as well as fuels used in energy processes on the scale of carbon leakage phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]