Mapping Uncounted Anthropogenic Fill Flows: Environmental Impact and Mitigation

Yuji Hara (), Chizuko Hirai and Yuki Sampei
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Yuji Hara: Faculty of Systems Engineering, Wakayama University, Wakayama 640-8510, Japan
Chizuko Hirai: Plus GIS, Wakayama 649-6246, Japan
Yuki Sampei: Faculty of Life Sciences, Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto 603-8555, Japan

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: Fill material flows created by land development earthworks are anthropogenic agents that generate massive energy use from their heavy loads. However, formal quantification of these flows has been neglected. We use Osaka Prefecture in Japan as a case study to quantify fill flows and associated CO 2 emissions. We collected data on fill flows, including fill generation and acceptance. We mapped these publicly uncounted fill flows and calculated the CO 2 emissions from the associated energy use. We also simulated a scenario in which optimized shortest-distance matching is achieved between fill generators and acceptors. We estimated the current fill flows based on distance and weight and broke down the total by type of site and activity. We compared our estimates of current fill flows with estimates from our matching simulation and found the simulation could achieve an 8448 km reduction in flow length and a 5724 t-CO 2 reduction in emissions associated with transportation. We discussed the implications of flexible matching, especially in different construction sectors, and the importance of continuous, spatially geo-referenced monitoring of these fill flows toward further environmental impact mitigation. The approach presented here could apply to assessing environmental loads arising from landform changes in other cities and lead to development of a new regional- and global-scale fill material science in the Anthropocene.

Keywords: earthwork; energy use; cut–fill land development; supply–demand matching; land teleconnection; landfill; urbanization; landslide disaster (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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