How can waterfront- and canal-based socio-economic activities be critically evaluated
within global coastal resilience and sustainability frameworks to assess their combined
roles in fostering community economic independence and generating environmental
pressures, and what transferable insights do the Salamrejo Canal tourism initiative and
household-scale tofu industries in Surabaya offer for sustainable development in coastal
cities worldwide?
Replies:
Based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results, the study identified untreated
liquid waste discharge as the most significant environmental hotspot overall,
specifically driving the peak impact in Freshwater Ecotoxicity (6.391 kg 1,4-DCB/day)
due to the release of high organic loads into river networks. However, energy use
was identified as the secondary critical hotspot, particularly for Global Warming
Potential (529.5 kg CO₂--eq/day), which is caused by the inefficient simultaneous
combustion of firewood and LPG during the boiling stage. Therefore, the main
hotspots are split between the boiling process (for air emissions) and the waste
disposal phase (for aquatic resilience)
Was the composition of the waters identified in the laboratory analyses as part of
your study (such as what specific compounds are present and the concentrations of
organic/toxic compounds present due to the tofu industry waste discharge)? If yes,
how did you identify them?
Replies:
No, this study did not conduct direct laboratory analyses to identify the specific
composition of the water. Instead, the identification of pollutants and potential
impacts was achieved through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) simulation using
openLCA software and the Ecoinvent 3.8 database. The specific compounds and
values presented, such as the 1,4-DCB equivalents for freshwater ecotoxicity, are not
physical concentrations measured in the field but are calculated impact potentials
derived from the ReCiPe Midpoint (H) method based on inventory data collected
through direct observations and interviews
How can household-scale tofu industries be integrated into a city-level coastal
resilience strategy without undermining their economic contribution?
Replies:
Household-scale tofu industries can be integrated into Surabaya^s coastal resilience
strategy by adopting cleaner production methods that mitigate environmental
degradation while creating new economic opportunities. Rather than discharging
untreated liquid waste which drives high freshwater ecotoxicity and threatens aquatic
ecosystems producers can convert this waste into liquid organic fertilizer and
repurpose solid by-products into marketable food items like tempe gembus.
Additionally, implementing fuel substitution and water recycling can drastically
reduce the industry^s high Global Warming Potential of 529.5 kg CO₂--eq/day ,
ensuring these enterprises remain economically viable and sustainable without
burdening the city^s coastal resources
