Technology transfer

A currently fashionable method of industrial diversification is ‘technology transfer’. The paper discusses the new mood of positive thinking within Scottish industry, and the role of the Scottish Development Agency's Technology Transfer Division in responding to the approaches received for specialist support. The author concludes that technology can have a major impact on many of the variables which contribute to the performance of a regional economy.     

Promoting community economic development: an assessment of an experimental scheme in cleveland

Traditional economic planning policies do not, largely, benefit residents of run‐down inner city neighbourhoods. Planners have therefore begun to look at other ways to improve the economic well‐being of unemployed people in such areas. One such initiative has been the location of Community Employment Development Officers in economically depressed areas by Cleveland County Council — one of Britain's unemployment blackspots. Their remit is to encourage and initiate action to create jobs and this paper looks at the experiment, drawing out some of the lessons.     

中国实现2030年可持续发展目标进程分析与对策

本文基于联合国可持续发展行动网络牵头发布的可持续发展目标指数和指示板报告，对中国实现2030年可持续发展目标状况进行了分析，认为尽管中国的SDG指数在全球整体排名中呈逐步上升趋势，但生态环境相关指标总体依然面临严峻挑战：中国与生态环境相关的目标评级偏低；SDG指数和指示板报告采用的评价指标与中国生态环境保护重点工作关联性不强；中国的统计数据难以满足测量2030年议程的数据需求等。为实现联合国倡议的2030年可持续发展目标，中国应打好污染防治攻坚战，提高环境治理水平，加快建立中国本土化评估指标体系，形成SDGs指标年度报告制，建立SDGs实施机制，建立与2030年议程相适应的统计支撑体系。     

Responding to Rio: a local authority approach

The concern for sustainable development which has been accentuated by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), is now being reflected at national and local government levels. In particular, Agenda 21, which was endorsed at the conference, has led to the implementation of a Local Agenda 21 programme. In Britain, extensive guidance and support on the interpretation of sustainable development has been provided by the Local Government Management Board and others. This paper reviews the general response to Local Agenda 21 in Britain and describes one local authority's approach.     

Achieving eco-efficiency through design for environment

“Eco-efficiency” is a term that does not yet appear in dictionaries but has already gained considerable force in shaping the environmental policies and practices of leading corporations. The Business Council on Sustainable Development (BCSD) sounded a trumpet call with their 1992 manifesto, “Changing Course.” Due to the credibility of the companies that constitute BCSD's membership—including Dow Chemical, 3M, Northern Telecom, Ciba-Geigy, Volkswagen, Nissan, Mitsubishi, and many others—their message has had a substantial influence on the strategic thinking of company executives around the world, BCSD's concept of eco-efficiency suggests an important link between resource efficiency (which leads to productivity and profitability) and environmental responsibility. Eco-efficiency makes business sense. By eliminating waste and using resources wisely, eco-efficient companies reduce costs and become more competitive. As environmental performance standards become commonplace, eco-efficient companies will be at an advantage for penetrating new markets and increasing their share of existing markets. This article describes the business practices companies are adopting to increase their eco-efficiency and improve their competitive advantage. “Corporations that achieve ever more efficiency while preventing pollution through good housekeeping, materials substitution, cleaner technologies, and cleaner products and that strive for more efficient use and recovery of resources can be called eco-efficient.” Declaration of the Business Council on Sustainable Development, 1992.     

Social licence and mining: A critical perspective

In 2002 the International Institute of Environment and Development published the landmark report Breaking New Ground: Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD). The report portrayed an industry distrusted by stakeholders and under threat from opposition groups. When read closely, the MMSD report reveals an inextricable link between industry's ‘survival’ instincts and the notion of a social licence. Within the context of a growing divergence around the expectations of minerals-led development, social licence has emerged as an industry response to opposition and a mechanism to ensure the viability of the sector. The objective of this article is to reinvigorate discussion and debate over how best to frame the industry's social and environmental obligations and how these obligations can be met by the sector. Where social licence has contributed to raising the profile of social issues within a predominantly industrial discourse, a primary failure is its inability to articulate a collaborative developmental agenda for the sector or a pathway forward in restoring the lost confidence of impacted communities, stakeholders, and pressure groups. We argue that a necessary first step in this process is for industry to reconcile its internal risk-orientation with external expectations which requires a less defensive and more constructive approach to stakeholder engagement and collaboration.     

从大数据角度看中国共产党绿色执政理念的变迁

2021年是中国共产党成立100周年，是“两个一百年”奋斗目标的交汇之年。中国共产党成立以来，党的绿色执政方略从“打土豪、分田地”到“全国土地会议”，从“节约粮食和土地资源”到“环境保护成为基本国策”，从“可持续发展”到“习近平生态文明思想”，回顾历史，绿色执政理念日益深入人心。本研究以《建党以来重要文献选编（1921—1949）》《毛泽东选集》《邓小平文选》《习近平谈治国理政》和国务院政府工作报告等为资料来源，基于机器学习自然语言处理大数据分析方法，使用隐含狄利克雷分布模型和KH Coder可视化软件，对重要文献选编和政府工作报告中中国共产党绿色执政理念有关文字表述内容进行统计和分析，系统梳理绿色执政理念的发展脉络。研究发现，习近平生态文明思想是中国共产党绿色执政理念的集大成者，是新时代新发展阶段加强生态环境保护的指导思想和行动指南，对走好“两个一百年”目标交汇点上绿色发展的第一步具有重要指导意义。     

煤炭产业的环境保护问题及建议

从煤炭产业所面临的产能过剩、环境污染和开发布局不合理的困境出发,说明了煤炭行业环境污染产生的途径和污染源,从经济成本、健康损失和国际影响力、竞争力方面阐释了煤炭产业绿色发展的重要性和必要性。在此基础上,进一步提出并讨论了煤炭产业绿色发展转型的三点政策建议:研发绿色开采技术、推广煤炭清洁利用技术、优化煤炭产业结构。     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Grassroots Environmental Action: People's Participation in Sustainable Development Edited by Dharam Ghai and Jessica M Vivian Routledge Press, New York Paradise Lost? The Ecological Economics of Biodiversity Edward B Barbier, Joanne C Burgess and Carl Folke Earthscan Publications Limited, London Whose Backyard, Whose Risk? Fear and Fairness in Toxic and Nuclear Waste Siting Michael B Gerrard MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA Environment, Growth and Development: The Concepts and Strategies of Sustainability Peter Bartelmus Routledge, London     

CHILDREN'S SENSE OF PLACE IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO

In the Hispano homeland of northern New Mexico, children's lives are shaped by land, by family, by culture, and by community. The way these forces work together forms each child's sense of place and place attachments. Using short case examples, this article presents a brief overview of children's place experiences and preferences and describes some of the factors that contribute to children's sense of place in three communities, of northern New Mexico which represent a range from urban to rural. It demonstrates the important role extended family and direct experience play in shaping children's sense of place and understanding of nature.     

Regional planning and sustainability: limits and potentials of South Africa's integrated development plans

This paper considers whether South Africa's Integrated Development Plans provide an adequate framework for achieving sustainable regional development, particularly for peripheral regions of developing countries. It examines the case of Integrated Development Planning in the Ugu District Municipality, which has been acclaimed for its emphasis on incorporating principles of sustainable development into its planning processes. While the emphasis on integration and the multi‐sectoral approach are strengths, greater attention needs to be given to environmental aspects, and the form of planning needs to be adapted to the context, and its social, economic and political dynamics.     

联合国可持续发展目标的评估与落实研究最新进展——目标关系的视角

目标间关系是影响可持续发展目标执行的重要挑战。本文回顾了关于目标间权衡和协同关系的研究成果,梳理了既有研究中平衡目标间关系的评估方法以及可以促进多目标实现的政策创新手段,总结了影响监测评估和政策手段发挥作用的因素。研究发现：目标间普遍存在部分或整体性的权衡和协同关系;以综合指数法和事前评估法为代表的评估方法开始转向关注目标间复杂的联动关系;减贫、减排、土地政策以及清洁生产和多元利益主体协作机制对目标的整体实现有助益;监测评估作用的发挥受限于数据管理和绩效测量方法的选择,政策手段的效果在一定程度上受到治理能力和既有制度安排的影响。最后,对未来中国落实可持续发展目标提出了展望和建议,要确立中国可持续发展目标间的整体关系,加强对目标执行和实现的事前评估能力,将更多本土化的SDGs指标纳入国家中长期发展规划。     

Recent debates and developments in British regional policy

This paper reviews the latest regional policy changes in Britain against the background of recent political and academic debates over the nature of and appropriate response to regional economic problems. It puts forward a critique of the current government's position on regional policy, as set out in the 1983 White Paper Regional Industrial Development, and examines the options for more broadly‐based approaches to regional development planning.     

Beijing's Water Resources: Challenges and Solutions

Beijing's local water resources have been overexploited and the ecological and environmental pressures exceed the carrying capacity of this densely populated megacity. This article examines the current status of Beijing's water resources with respect to its industrial, residential, and eco‐environmental water usage and the challenges it may face in the near future. The article describes the context of water uses, the steps taken by Beijing to alleviate the water shortage problems, and challenges to Beijing's abilities to meet its urgent and future water needs. A multipronged strategy is proposed that aims at both the present problems and the anticipated future challenges. In particular, engineering and institutional approaches for Beijing's successful transition from overexploitation to sustainable utilization of water resources are explained. Actions include reasonable water utilization, water conservation, reclaimed wastewater, and importing water from neighboring areas. We conclude that Beijing must take additional steps in water resource management to ensure its sustainable development that involves continued urbanization sprawls and population growth. Future water resource management strategies should focus on strengthening water demand management through water conservation, efficient interbasin water transfers, use of nontraditional water resources, strategically reserving water supply, and promoting rehabilitation of the eco‐environments.     

论我国《海域使用管理法》的修订

《海域使用管理法》对中国海洋法制建设具有重要意义。该法施行以来,我国海域使用管理配套法规体系日趋完善,海洋功能区划、海域有偿使用等制度日臻成熟。《海域使用管理法》实施已逾15年,我国经济社会生活发生了巨大变化,中国特色社会主义法律体系不断完善,该法暴露出来的问题日益增多,亟待修订:首先,立法理念应由"重发展,轻保护"向"海域资源和海洋环境保护优先"变革。其次,应完善海域使用权制度,突出海域使用权的物权性,强化该法的私权色彩,将海域使用权的成立时间修改为"完成登记之日"。在围填海管理方面,应理顺围填海建设项目的审批程序,提高行政效率;建立填海造地指标管理制度。最后,在法律责任方面,应明确"恢复原状"的适用条件;修改罚款的计算方法,对于具有持续性的严重海域违法行为可以引入"按日处罚"制度;增加刑事责任条款;赋予海洋行政执法机构必要的行政强制手段。     

Greening the Fife Economy: Ecological Modernization as a Pathway for Local Economic Development

Progress in the greening of UK local government has been hampered by uncertainty about the relationship between resource use and environmental protection. Ecological modernizationmay offer the most appropriateparadigm to reconcile economic, social and environmentalinterpretationsof sustainability. The transition from corporate to strategic environmental management currently being attempted by some 'green' authorities can be construed as an attempt to promote ecological modernization in the form of institutional learning. Fife Council in Scotland provides an interesting case study. Progress with corporate environmental management has become bound up with a radical devolution of decision making. Efforts to link the authority's Sustainable Development Policy to a Local Agenda 21 programme have been initiated with the piloting of sustainability indicators.     

THE STATE OF LOUISIANA SUPERPORT AUTHORITY ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PLAN – OIL AND OYSTERS1

ABSTRACT: The State of Louisiana created in 1972 the Deep Draft Harbor and Terminal Authority (commonly called Superport Authority) to plan, promote, and develop a deepwater (crude oil) terminal off the coast of Louisiana, and empowered it to establish an Authority development program to promote the economic and social welfare of its citizens. Simultaneously, the Authority was also charged with developing an environmental protection plan to preserve the environmental values of Louisiana's unique coastal marshland while permitting beneficial industrial and economic development. Consequently, in January 1974, an Environmental Protection Plan was promulgated, consisting of a series of regulations, design standards, and operating procedures aimed specifically at protecting the fragile estuarine environment of coastal Louisiana during the construction and ultimate operation of the superport. The paper describes the development of the Superport Authority's Environmental Protection Plan and the current status of the superport project.     

THE ECONOMICS OF GEOTHERMAL POWER

This article, based on a rapporteur's report, is a synthesis of papers read before the United Nations Symposium on the Development and Utilization of Geothermal Resources, held at Pisa, Italy, in 1970. It covers a broad cross-section of experience in exploiting geothermal energy, especially in Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America     

THE ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN WATER USE IN THE TUCSON BASIN,ARIZONA1

ABSTRACT: The ground water in the Tucson basin is being drawn faster than it is replenished by nature. The water table is falling, giving rise to several conflicts between water users in the basin. At present, several lawsuits are in progress, including an action by the Papago Tribe against some of the major water users in the basin. Largely because of these difficulties, the State Legislature has established a commission to make proposals for the reform of Arizona's ground water law. The pattern of water use in the basin will undoubtedly be changed by the outcome of the present litigation and the coming reform of Arizona's ground water law. This paper describes how water use in the basin might be affected by changes in the availability of water and gives an account of the effects that these changes in water use could have on the region's economy. The paper concludes that the water problems of the Tucson basin will have little effect on the region at large and that these problems are simply a matter for the Indians and the other water users in the basin to sort out amongst themselves.     

Designing a sustainable facility to improve energy and environmental performance at the women's humane society

Susan Maxman Architects was selected to design a new facility for the Women's Humane Society. The project, located on a disturbed site in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, presented an environmental challenge as a large part of the site is wetlands and the site is home to a large PECO power line. This case study describes the process of designing a facility that incorporates the concerns of environmental responsibility. It will show how the decisions in the design of the built environment can very much influence the well-being of the natural environment. It describes the ways in which the client was convinced that it was of great benefit to create a facility that was energy-efficient and environmentally sensitive. The article also explores the successes and failures of this process. It discusses barriers that exist in comprehensively incorporating sustainable design principles in these facilities and shows how it is applicable for the development of other facilities.