Environmental Management
Y.A. Pratama; M.Y.A. Kadir; A. Rivaldi; I.C. Mulya; S. Amirah; M. Iqhrammullah
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Climate change and pollution present severe threats to the environment and human well-being. Women are disproportionately affected by health challenges, including reproduction, cardiovascular, and neurological challenges. To address this issue, gender-inclusive environmental ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Climate change and pollution present severe threats to the environment and human well-being. Women are disproportionately affected by health challenges, including reproduction, cardiovascular, and neurological challenges. To address this issue, gender-inclusive environmental policies must be implemented. This aspect is particularly important with a setback observed in the environmental management regulations in Indonesia, where the government ratified the Omnibus Law on Job Creation, which removes the stringent licensing process for environmentally impactful activities. This situation highlights government negligence, emphasizing the urgent necessity for enhanced women’s participation in the legislature. This study has two objectives. First, evidence of environmental impact on women’s health is subject for evaluation. Second, this study aims to highlight the urgent need for increased women’s participation in environmental policy-making and legislative processes.METHODS: This study used bibliometric analysis, examining metadata from published literature indexed in the Scopus database. The search, conducted on 10 January 2024, utilized the keywords “Women” AND “Environment” and their synonyms, covering records from 1909 to 2024. Bibliometric analysis was conducted using Biblioshiny, with network and density visualization performed using VOSviewer. The participation of women in decision-making was analyzed based on their number of seats in Parliament and a literature survey. The selection of frequently occurring keywords and clusters of keyword co-occurrence was carried out independently by two independent reviewers.FINDINGS: The bibliometric analysis included metadata from 3770 records, revealing an exponential increase in trends from 2000 to 2020. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified eight research topic clusters focused on the environmental impact on women’s health. Thereafter, the co-occurring keywords were utilized to trace the evolution of study themes, resulting in the identification of four main themes with well-established scientific evidence: (1) air pollution impact on pregnancy and its outcome, (2) pollution impact on women’s hormones, (3) environmental impact in urban settings, and (4) heavy metal pollution. Indonesia has never achieved 30 percent women representation in Parliament, highlighting the unsatisfactory participation of women in legislative elections. The underrepresentation of women directly impacts the insufficient attention to their well-being throughout the policy-making.CONCLUSION: The environment significantly influences women’s health, potentially making the population markedly vulnerable owing to societal roles and hormonal factors. To address this issue, a crucial step is actively involving women in policy-making, particularly through a reserved seat concept in Parliament. This approach, applicable globally, acknowledges the widespread impact of environmental issues on women across countries.
Environmental Engineering
M. Iqhrammullah; S. Saudah; M. Monalisa; F. Fahrurrozi; S.A. Akbar; S.S. Lubis
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The presence of heavy metals, specifically cadmium, in the environment poses significant threats to both ecological systems and human health. However, microalgae have shown potential in addressing this issue through their ability to absorb cadmium and produce valuable biomass, ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The presence of heavy metals, specifically cadmium, in the environment poses significant threats to both ecological systems and human health. However, microalgae have shown potential in addressing this issue through their ability to absorb cadmium and produce valuable biomass, making them a promising solution for bioremediation. Among the various microalgae species, Chlorella vulgaris stands out as a suitable candidate due to its potential for biodiesel production and its capacity to effectively absorb cadmium. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to assess the toxicity of cadmium on Chlorella vulgaris cells using network meta-analysis as a methodology.METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted on Scopus, Scilit, Google Scholar, and Web of Science to identify relevant studies published from 1 January 1990 to 16 January 2024. Only studies that reported the cell number of Chlorella vulgaris as a result of cadmium exposure were considered for inclusion. The collected data were then subjected to Bayesian frequentist network meta-analysis, utilizing standardized mean difference and a 95 percent confidence interval as measures of effect size. Additionally, a linear regression analysis was performed to examine the dose-dependent impact of cadmium toxicity.FINDINGS: Dose-dependent toxic effects of cadmium on Chlorella vulgaris were evident (R-square of more than 0.90), particularly at a concentration of 1 part per million, deemed as the maximum tolerable threshold. Prolonged exposure revealed a concentration-dependent reduction in cell viability, suggesting potential lifespan shortening. A comparison of growth stimulants, gibberellic acid and brassinolide (standard means differences of 1.7 and 3.8, respectively), in mitigating cadmium toxicity indicated the latter superior effectiveness in sustaining microalgal survivability. The presence of high nitrogen and low phosphorous levels was found to be significantly associated with a reduction in Chlorella vulgaris cells due to cadmium exposure.CONCLUSION: This research has provided conclusive proof of the harmful effects of cadmium on Chlorella vulgaris through the implementation of Bayesian frequentist network meta-analysis, offering valuable insights for environmental management practices. The findings reveal concentration-dependent effects of cadmium toxicity. The survivability of Chlorella vulgaris is determined by the compositions of macronutrients nitrogen and phosphorous. Comparative analyses highlight the superior protective effect of brassinolide over gibberellic acid in mitigating cadmium toxicity. Overall, the findings highlight the potential of Chlorella vulgaris in both bioremediation of heavy metals and biomass production.
