China''s energy, environment and policy perspective

This paper discusses the specific features of the energy in China, and addresses those key challenges in China is that the coexist of (1) higher total energy production and lower per capita level; (2) lower per capita energy resources level with unrational energy consumption structure; (3) lower energy utilization efficiency and higher energy conservation potential; and (4) unequal distribution of energy resources. It reviews the key environmental problems related to the feature of energy production and consumption. Based on the analysis, the author furthers addresses the policy and actions needed.     

Climate change and the growth of the livestock sector in developing countries

Livestock production systems will inevitably be affected as a result of changes in climate and climate variability, with impacts on peoples’ livelihoods. At the same time, livestock food chains are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture and livestock in particular will need to play a greater role than they have hitherto in reducing emissions in the future. Adaptation and mitigation may require significant changes in production technology and farming systems, which could affect productivity. Given what is currently known about the likely impacts on livestock systems, however, the costs of mitigating and adapting to climate change in the aggregate may not represent an enormous constraint to the growth of the global livestock sector, in its bid to meet increasing demand for livestock products. Different livestock systems have different capacities to adapt or to take on board the policy and regulatory changes that may be required in the future. Vulnerability of households dependent on livestock, particularly in the drier areas of developing countries, is likely to increase substantially, with concomitant impacts on poverty and inequity. The capacity of these systems to adapt and to yield up their carbon sequestration potential deserves considerable further study. Comprehensive frameworks need to be developed to assess impacts and trade-offs, in order to identify and target adaptation and mitigation options that are appropriate for specific contexts, and that can contribute to environmental sustainability as well as to poverty alleviation and economic development.     

Future needs in potato post-harvest technology in developing countries

The reduction of post-harvest food losses, which are particularly high in perishable crops in developing countries, is important not only from an obligation to avoid waste, but also because the cost of preventing food losses in general is considered to be less than producing a similar additional amount of food of the same quality. In perishable vegetatively propagated crops like the potato, appropriate post-harvest technology is not only required to reduce food losses, but also to maintain the perishable planting material from one growing season to the next.Extensive knowledge on basic post-harvest technologies and principles exists for potatoes. The future emphasis in tropical developing countries should be in their low-cost application to specific local problems. In attempting to use known technologies to solve these problems, lessons should be learnt from many past failures where attempts concentrated on the direct transfer of technologies which were successfully used in one location to a similar problem in another location. Basic technologies and principles are universal but their application is location-specific and requires a good understanding of the socio-economic as well as technical needs of each location. The best use of limited resources in the transfer and application of known technologies could be achieved through the use of interdisciplinary research teams which involve their final client — farmer, merchant or consumer — in their efforts at an early stage, rather than relying on traditional disciplinary research and extension approaches.As an alternative to trying to copy the development path of countries which use high-input technologies, the authors suggest that developing countries, in an effort to reduce post-harvest potato losses and to make potatoes available to an increasing number of their peoples by the year 2000, should investigate alternative low-cost application of basic principles.     

发达国家电力产业发展循环经济的经验

电力产业大力发展循环经济,对国家经济持续稳定的增长具有基础性、关键性、长期性的作用。详细介绍了发达国家电力产业在减少排放、控制污染、提高发电效率、推行清洁生产、探索建立循环经济工业园区及发展可再生能源发电等方面的经验和做法,为我国电力产业大力发展循环经济提供良好借鉴。     

亚洲发展中国家城市管理现状分析和思考

城市环境管理城市是特定意义的生态系统,人类与环境要在这一特定空间地域有机结合和对立统一。现代城市的发展,不仅要有效解决城市化过程所带来的种种矛盾,还要适应新技术革命和信息社会的多种挑战。城市环境管理是一项复杂而系统的社会工程,是国家市政管理中一个既广且大的课题,也是一个城市文明程度的重要标志,     

Biofuels production in developing countries: assessing tradeoffs in welfare and food security

In light of the recent rise in global food prices, much of the literature on crop-based biofuel production focuses on the potential impacts on food security. Studies have identified linkages between the usage of feedstocks in biofuel production and international food price increases. In addition, these studies indicate that food prices are expected to continue to rise over the next decade in response to biofuel consumption targets adopted in the U.S. and E.U. Despite these indications, some countries for whom food security and poverty reduction are still an issue have initiated crop-based biofuel development and set forth national blending targets for energy use within the transportation sector. As a result, a broader examination of the tradeoffs concerning welfare and food security related to biofuel development merit consideration. Opportunities to generate income and expand agricultural production technology through biofuel development may provide welfare gains that can improve purchasing power and decrease vulnerability to price shocks for food and energy. In addition, biofuel production schemes that promote alternative energy sources for household uses can improve productivity and health, especially for women and children. To assist with the sector development that maximizes welfare gains, we suggest a number of key indicators that might be useful in constructing a typology that can be applied across countries to characterize their energy needs and better target the types of bioenergy uses that might be best suited for them. In addition, biofuel production models are reviewed and best-practices identified that can expand welfare gains for smallholders and the poor. Through these examples, we demonstrate a basis upon which policymakers might approach the prioritization of their national strategies towards developing renewable energy sources, such that they can have the maximum impact upon important goals of human welfare and development.     

大同市医药工业园区规划生态环境影响分析

生态环境影响评价是规划环评的重点技术环节。以大同市医药工业园区的建设开发活动为例,简要介绍了园区的规划范围、规划定位及规划年限;在此基础上进行了生态环境影响识别;并对园区规划实施可能带来的生态影响进行了具体分析;提出了开发建设与生态保护相结合的建议,以期促进生态系统的良性循环。具体政策建议如下:第一,应规划生物通道,加强保护野生动物;第二,重建人工林,移植针叶林;第三,抚育利用现有林地,最大化利用资源;第四,布局设置防护林带,加强区域的生态功能;第五,进行园区内绿化建设以及确保补偿政策的落实。     

发展红色旅游还须绿色环境

红色旅游是指以中国共产党领导人民在革命战争时期形成的纪念地、标志物为载体，以其所承载的革命历史、事迹和精神为内涵，组织接待旅游者开展缅怀学习、参观游览的主题性旅游活动。眼下，红色旅游方兴未艾，成为旅游经济强劲的增长点。2月22日出台的《2004—2010年全国红色旅游发展规划纲要》提出，在未来6年，国家将培育形成12个重点红色旅游区，打造100个左右的红色旅游经典景区，     

Evaluating electricity sector reforms in Argentina: lessons for developing countries?

In Argentina, prior to the macroeconomic crisis of early 2002, power sector reforms had proven successful in delivering low electricity tariffs and increasing private investments. This had been achieved through the unbundling of electricity supply businesses and the introduction of competition, paying due attention to the lessons learned by forerunners in power sector reform, including neighbouring Chile. The reforms that had been implemented in Argentina were therefore deemed to have been a success. However, in the wake of the macroeconomic crisis and the devaluation of the peso, generators and gas suppliers found themselves in critical financial straights, which caused a halt to additional investment. The current challenge facing reforms in the Argentine power sector is to rebound from the financial ramifications of peso devaluation and to promote private investment. Given these basic facts, this paper traces the history of reforms in the Argentine electricity sector, assessing the progress that has been achieved and suggesting lessons for developing countries. It is often the case in developing countries that the unbundling of vertically integrated state-owned industries into privatised enterprises requires efforts to improve infrastructure as a prerequisite for the introduction of competitive practices. Bearing this in mind, this paper lays out measures that would be useful to consider for electricity sector reforms in developing countries from the following three perspectives: (1) Transition from a state-owned power companies to private enterprises; (2) Development of conditions required to promote infrastructure projects; and (3) Development of conditions for the establishment of a healthy and fair competitive environment, assuming that liberalisation is achieved once the conditions in (1) and (2) are met.     

Earth observations for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation in developing countries

In response to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process investigating the technical issues surrounding the ability to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deforestation in developing countries, this paper reviews technical capabilities for monitoring deforestation and estimating emissions. Implementation of policies to reduce emissions from deforestation require effective deforestation monitoring systems that are reproducible, provide consistent results, meet standards for mapping accuracy, and can be implemented at the national level. Remotely sensed data supported by ground observations are key to effective monitoring. Capacity in developing countries for deforestation monitoring is well-advanced in a few countries and is a feasible goal in most others. Data sources exist to determine base periods in the 1990s as historical reference points. Forest degradation (e.g. from high impact logging and fragmentation) also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions but it is more technically challenging to measure than deforestation. Data on carbon stocks, which are needed to estimate emissions, cannot currently be observed directly over large areas with remote sensing. Guidelines for carbon accounting from deforestation exist and are available in approved Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports and can be applied at national scales in the absence of forest inventory or other data. Key constraints for implementing programs to monitor greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation are international commitment of resources to increase capacity, coordination of observations to ensure pan-tropical coverage, access to free or low-cost data, and standard and consensual protocols for data interpretation and analysis.     

Incentivizing REDD+: How developing countries are laying the groundwork for benefit-sharing

Benefit distribution plays a central role in incentivizing action in REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation and forest enhancement). Conceived as a global performance-based incentive mechanism to reduce land-use emissions in developing countries, REDD+ involves changes in resource governance by many actors at multiple scales, in order to minimize the climate impact of land-use activities or to maximize their contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A key governance issue for developing countries is how to incentivize action among stakeholders and the way countries design their benefit-sharing mechanisms (BSMs) is therefore seen as a critical factor in determining the success of REDD+ in the long term. This comprehensive research investigates up-to-date national level REDD+ planning documents to provide new evidence on how countries are planning to implement BSMs, including an analysis of common governance themes and where gaps exist. Our unique comparative study based on five country cases reveals that there is a lack of comprehensive participatory, transparent and accountable processes among country strategies and in particular, shortcomings in preparation for local and subnational governance, financial disbursement and dispute-resolution mechanisms. Furthermore, countries are making slow progress on land tenure and carbon rights reform. In fact, such ambiguous legislation on carbon benefits, coupled with weak institutional capacity and ineffective dispute-resolution mechanisms, may make it difficult for REDD+ stakeholders to participate fully in initiatives and receive a fair distribution of benefits. This research indicates that REDD+ actors including donors and national governments will need to further rethink strategies and policy frameworks to improve their BSMs and to guarantee effective, equitable and efficient REDD+ outcomes in the long term.     

Rural energy transitions in developing countries: a case of the Uttam Urja initiative in India

In most developing countries, at the household level, traditional burning of biomass or use of inefficient technologies for domestic applications like lighting is common, triggering concerns related to fuel or technology switching. The paper focuses on opportunities to promote cleaner energy options through development of value chains delivering improved energy efficiency and access in developing countries. We discuss the example of Uttam Urja, a field project involving the dissemination of photovoltaic lighting technologies in rural areas of India. We focus on the challenges of introducing radical innovations into the residential energy sector in developing countries. For the purpose of this paper the Uttam Urja project is conceptualized as an ‘experiment’ and analysed using the Strategic Niche Management (SNM) framework. The paper emphasizes that to effect socio-technical transitions to clean energy options on the ground, it is desirable to focus on technology customization and innovative financing to cater to the needs and concerns of end users.     

Effects of policy measures implemented in Denmark on nitrogen pollution of the aquatic environment

Since 1985, seven national Action Plans (AP) have been implemented in Denmark to reduce nitrogen discharges from point sources and nitrogen losses from agriculture. The instruments applied include regulations on point source discharges from waste water treatment plants, area-related measures, e.g. reestablishment of wetlands and afforestation and nutrient-related measures, e.g. mandatory fertilizer plans and improved utilization of nitrogen in manure. A national monitoring programme was launched in 1988 to monitor trends in nitrogen losses from point sources and diffuse agricultural sources. Four national indicators were defined: nitrogen discharges from point sources, nitrogen surplus in agriculture, nitrogen leaching from agricultural land and nitrogen concentrations and loads in surface waters. Since the introduction of mitigation programmes, discharges of nitrogen from point sources have been reduced by 74% (1989–2003), nitrogen surplus by 31% (1990–2003), and model calculated nitrogen leaching from the root zone on agricultural land by 33% (1989–2002). Trend analysis of total nitrogen concentrations and loads in 86 streams draining smaller agricultural catchments shows an average respective reduction of 29 and 32% (1989–2004). The change in model calculated nitrogen leaching varies between 28 and 44% as calculated for catchments within eight geo-regions covering most of Denmark. The average trend calculated for nitrogen concentrations measured in the same streams and geo-regions shows a reduction in total nitrogen concentration between 8 and 45%. The instruments and measures adopted in Denmark to regulate nitrogen losses from different pressures have therefore proven successful. The impact of the regulations are, however, not equally high in all geo-regions which is possibly related to delays in travel time in groundwater. Until now, the regulation has been performed on a national scale. A more regional or local approach is believed to be necessary in future to meet the demands of the EU Water Framework Directive.     

新经济开发区发展与环境规划探讨

近几年来,随着区域经济开发在全国各地大规模展开．区域环境研究受到普遍重视．协调新经济开发区发展与环境的关系显示出其实用价值。本文在吸收老工业区和城市环境经济综合规划理论和经验的基础上,探讨了新经济开发区经济发展与环境保护协调规划的基本原则、研究内容和方法。     

关于实施咸阳市环境保护“十五”计划的思考

咸阳市环境保护“十五”计划是我市环境保护事业进入新世纪的第一个五年计划，怎样在“九五”计划已奠定了较好的基础上，大胆解放思想，严密科学规划，着力重点突破，整体全面推进，扎实有序地实施已制定的计划，是摆在全体环保工作者面前的一项重要任务，一个值得思考的课题，本文意欲在学习陕西省委和咸阳市委《关于制定陕西省咸阳市国民经济和社会发展第十个五年计划的建议》（以下简称《建议》，以及咸阳市相关文件后，结合咸阳实际，理清工作思路，把握工作重点，以便更好地组织实施。