Between 1991 and 2012, the facilities that reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program conducted 370,000 source reduction projects. We use this data set to conduct the first quasi-experimental retrospective evaluation of how implementing a source reduction (pollution prevention) project affects the quantity of toxic chemicals released to the environment by an average industrial facility. We use a differences-in-differences methodology, which measures how implementing a source reduction project affects a facility's releases of targeted chemicals, relative to releases of (a) other untargeted chemicals from the same facility, or (b) the same chemical from other facilities in the same industry. We find that the average source reduction project causes a 9-16% decrease in releases of targeted chemicals in the year of implementation. Source reduction techniques vary in effectiveness: for example, raw material modification causes a large decrease in releases, while inventory control has no detectable effect. Our analysis suggests that in aggregate, the source reduction projects carried out in the U.S. since 1991 have prevented between 5 and 14 billion pounds of toxic releases.
Context. The ability of ectothermic stream invertebrates to adapt to the predicted increases in mean and extreme stream temperatures is crucial to ensuring they continue to exist. Aims. To examine the plasticity of thermal limits of Australian Paratya spp. (Decapoda, Atyidae) from streams in eastern New South Wales (NSW). We hypothesised that the upper lethal temperature (ULT, as indicated by the median lethal temperature, LT 50 ) would be higher for warm water-acclimated shrimp individuals than for winter-acclimatised shrimp individuals because of the importance of acclimatisation temperature. Methods. Controlled experiments were undertaken to determine the ULT by using ramping assays for winter field-acclimatised and warm water laboratoryacclimated Paratya spp. Key results. Warm water-acclimated shrimp individuals demonstrated a significantly higher LT 50 of 36.1°C than did winter-acclimatised shrimp individuals at 34.6°C. Paratya spp. exhibited a limited plasticity for acclimation to warmer temperatures.Conclusions. Results demonstrated the potential vulnerability of ectothermic stream invertebrates to climate change if stream temperatures increase as predicted and thermal thresholds are exceeded. Implications. Understanding the ULT of stream invertebrates helps predict their ability to respond to temperature variability and response to climate change. Increasing resilience through target management of resorting riparian vegetation for shade and securing environmental flows may reduce the impacts of stream warming.
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