The Environmental sustainability of mining in Australia: key mega-trends and looming constraints

At first ‘sustainable mining’ could be perceived as a paradox—minerals are widely held to be finite resources with rising consumption causing pressure on known resources. The true sustainability of mineral resources, however, is a much more complex picture and involves exploration, technology, economics, social and environmental issues, and advancing scientific knowledge—predicting future sustainability is therefore not a simple task. This paper presents the results from a landmark study on historical trends in Australian mining, including ore milled, ore grades, open cut versus underground mining, overburden/waste rock and economic resources. When complete data sets are compiled for specific metals, particular issues stand out with respect to sustainability—technological breakthroughs (e.g. flotation, carbon-in-pulp), new discoveries (e.g. uranium or U), price changes (e.g. Au, boom/bust cycles), social issues (e.g. strikes), etc. All of these issues are of prime importance in moving towards a semi-quantitative sustainability model of mineral resources and the mining industry. For the future, critical issues will continue to be declining ore grades (also ore quality and impurities), increased waste rock and associated liabilities, known economic resources, potential breakthrough technologies, and broader environmental constraints (e.g. carbon costs, water). For this latter area, many companies now report annually on sustainability performance—facilitating analysis of environmental sustainability with respect to production performance. By linking these two commonly disparate aspects—mining production and environmental/sustainability data—it becomes possible to better understand environmental sustainability and predict future constraints such as water requirements, greenhouse emissions, energy and reagent inputs, and the like. This paper will therefore present a range of fundamental data and issues which help towards quantifying the resource and environmental sustainability of mining—with critical implications for the mining industry and society as a whole.     

METAL RESOURCES OF DEEP SEA NODULES

The deep ocean floor represents the latest frontier of knowledge about global mineral resources. The ocean environment poses unique problems for mineral resource development - problems of resource assessment, adaptation of mining technology, and management of resources common to all of mankind. In the first of three related articles on the mineral resources of the ocean, Mr. Odunton assesses the current state of knowledge about the nature and extent of marigenous minerals. He examines the processes of formation, the composition, and the regional distribution of ferromanganese nodules, which represent the most promising of these minerals at present. Attention is also given to the considerations involved in the location, evaluation and exploitation of nodule deposits. Future articles will review ocean mining technology and the economic and policy issues involved in the development of ocean mineral resources.     

中国能源安全及其资源开发与利用的策略研究

通过采用“霍夫曼系数”的分析方法,提出能源危机是国家在工业化过程中的必经阶段,并从资源经济理论角度认识我国经济增长对资源消耗的关系,剖析国际能源危机背景与经济格局的成因。中国目前和今后主要受制于国内资源不足,要应对能源危机,只有实现多元化的策略,才能保障能源的供应,实现我国经济社会和谐、稳定、可持续发展。因此,能源资源开发与利用策略的研究具有极其重要的现实意义。     

Non-metallic Minerals and the Developing Countries: Patterns, Constraints, Initiatives

This paper reviews the role of non-metallic minerals in the economy and examines the relationship between demand patterns and the process of industrialization. As developing countries industrialize, large volumes of construction minerals (sand, gravel, crushed stone, etc.) will be required while with most other industrial minerals increasing quantities will be consumed only in the more advanced stages of economic development. In many developing countries the assurance of an adequate supply of these minerals from indigenous resources will necessitate initiatives aimed at removing constraints and barriers to mining sector development.     

Regional economic disparities in Belgium and regional,national and supra‐national policies: an analysis of collective failure

Two kinds of regional disparities can be distinguished in Belgium. First there is the internationally well‐known dispute between Flanders and Wallonia. Secondly, there are large disparities within the regions. Three policy levels deal with these disparities: the (Flemish) regional level, the national government level and the EEC level. The purpose of this paper is to sketch the regional problems in Belgium, to analyse the policies that deal with them, to consider the co‐ordination problems between them and to shed some light on the public choice aspects of government interventions. It is concluded that regional policy in Belgium is a highly politicised affair. Furthermore public attention paid to regional policies has outgrown the importance of our regional disparities. Even other forms of micro‐economic policy are jeopardised by regional disparities and the resulting pressure.     

In-between regional disparities and spatial heterogeneity: a multivariate analysis of territorial divides in Italy

Processes such as economic polarization, social disparities and the asymmetric distribution of natural capital are becoming progressively more interlinked in developed countries and may reflect the uneven decline of the ‘centre-periphery’ model. The assessment of regional disparities and spatial heterogeneity in socioeconomic phenomena is a key issue in regional studies and takes advantage of the use of multi-domain frameworks and decision support systems. We performed an exploratory analysis of 133 indicators assessing seven thematic domains (demography/settlements, labour market, economic structure, quality of life, agriculture/rural development, landscape/water, environment/soil resources) with the aim of investigating regional disparities in Italy in the light of territorial changes driven by urbanization, industrial decentralization, agricultural intensification and land abandonment. The results of our study indicate that latitude, elevation and urban gradients have determined a complex spatial pattern in both socioeconomic and environmental variables in Italy. The proposed approach provides an overall assessment of the intensity of territorial disparities on a regional scale for each thematic domain, and of intra-region spatial heterogeneity for each indicator, representing a decision-making tool for policies targeting a sustainable and spatially balanced development.     

晋陕蒙接壤地区能源基地战略环境影响评价研究

文章以晋陕蒙接壤区能源基地战略为例对区域战略环境影响评价进行分析和研究。首先对接壤区能源基地战略进行了回顾性地分析和评价,然后对环境影响进行了预测和环境效益分析,最后提出了战略实施的环境保护对策。     

Review and challenges of policies of environmental protection and sustainable development in China

China is confronted with the dual task of developing its national economy and protecting its ecological environment. Since the 1980s, China's policies on environmental protection and sustainable development have experienced five changes: (1) progression from the adoption of environmental protection as a basic state policy to the adoption of sustainable development strategy; (2) changing focus from pollution control to ecological conservation equally; (3) shifting from end-of-pipe treatment to source control; (4) moving from point source treatment to regional environmental governance; and (5) a turn away from administrative management-based approaches and towards a legal means and economic instruments-based approach. Since 1992, China has set down sustainable development as a basic national strategy. However, environmental pollution and ecological degradation in China have continued to be serious problems and have inflicted great damage on the economy and quality of life. The beginning of the 21st century is a critical juncture for China's efforts towards sustaining rapid economic development, intensifying environmental protection efforts, and curbing ecological degradation. As the largest developing country, China's policies on environmental protection and sustainable development will be of primary importance not only for China, but also the world. Realizing a completely well-off society by the year 2020 is seen as a crucial task by the Chinese government and an important goal for China's economic development in the new century, however, attaining it would require a four-fold increase over China's year 2000 GDP. Therefore, speeding up economic development is a major mission during the next two decades and doing so will bring great challenges in controlling depletion of natural resources and environmental pollution. By taking a critical look at the development of Chinese environmental policy, we try to determine how best to coordinate the relationship between the environment and the economy in order to improve quality of life and the sustainability of China's resources and environment. Examples of important measures include: adjustment of economic structure, reform of energy policy, development of environmental industry, pollution prevention and ecological conservation, capacity building, and international cooperation and public participation.     

A collaborative approach to address the cumulative impacts of mine-water discharge: Negotiating a cross-sectoral waterway partnership in the Bowen Basin,Australia

The social and environmental impacts of rapidly expanding coal and gas industries have generated high levels of public concern and there is increasing evidence of cumulative impacts. In the Bowen Basin of Queensland (Australia) water quality issues have triggered a collaborative response to coordinate monitoring efforts, integrate data and information and undertake regional analysis to inform landscape-scale management. Collaborative governance is promoted as a response to complex environmental problems, such as cumulative impacts. However, application of this approach to the resources and energy sectors remains a significant research gap. This paper reports the results of action research in the 2 years taken to negotiate the establishment of collaborative governance arrangements to address mine-water discharge impacts in the Bowen Basin. The long establishment phase has been required to refine objectives, build trust, develop governance mechanisms and secure resourcing commitments. The partnership established involves more than 20 organisations including regulators, resources and energy companies, agricultural industries and research organisations. The breadth of participating sectors is a significant innovation, but also represents a major challenge in establishing this model of regional environmental governance. Promising strategies adopted to manage these tensions have included neutral brokerage, facilitative leadership, establishing legitimacy of the collaboration and credibility of its reports. The case study provides a cautionary tale of the pursuit of the promise of ‘everyone working together’ to address cumulative impacts. Policy implications include the need for extended commitment and integration of collaborative and other responses.     

中国西部地区旅游开发对策研究

我国西部旅游资源具有巨大的开发潜力,但旅游发展受到多方面的限制.旅游整合开发战略是在科学分析西部地区旅游发展优势和局限因素的基础上提出的科学决策,对西部旅游开发具有切实的指导意义.西部应着重以下工作:吸引资金,重视人才,实行政府主导型开发;改善基础设施落后面貌,做好旅游营销和宣传工作;增加资源开发的深度与广度,合理规划旅游路线,开发旅游商品;科学规划,加强监测,实行生态保护.     

Metalliferous sediments in the Atlantis II Deep—Assessing the geological and economic resource potential and legal constraints

Projected increases in demand and thus increasing metal prices have brought the exploration and exploitation of marine mineral resources back into focus. The Atlantis II Deep, located in the central Red Sea between Saudi Arabia and Sudan, is one of the largest marine sulfide deposits known, with high concentrations of metals such as zinc, copper, silver and gold. However, little is known about the economic potential of marine minerals as well as the legal constraints. Our geological assessment shows that the deep is similar in grades and scale to large land-based deposits. Its economic potential is far from negligible. The total present value of possible gross revenues for the four metals zinc, copper, silver and gold ranges from 3.03 to 5.29 billion US$, depending on the assumptions made concerning future price development, mass calculation and discount rate. From a legal perspective, a general duty to cooperate in the exploration and exploitation of non-living resources located in disputed maritime areas is identified in both customary international law and in UNCLOS. It is submitted that a joint development agreement is one means of ensuring compliance with this duty in general and in the case of the Atlantis II Deep in particular.     

Mining and sustainable development: considerations for minerals supply

Sustainable development involves meeting the needs of human societies while maintaining viable biological and physical Earth systems. The needs include minerals: metals, fuels, industrial and construction materials. There will continue to be considerable demand for virgin mineral resources, even if levels of recycling and efficiency of use are optimal, and rates of population growth and globalisation decrease significantly. This article aims to stimulate debate on strategic issues for minerals supply. While the world has considerable stocks of mineral resources overall, international considerations of the environmental and social aspects of sustainable development are beginning to result in limitations on where mining will be conducted and what types of deposits will be mined. Current and emerging trends favour large mines in parts of the world where mining can be conducted within acceptable limits of environmental and social impact. Finding new deposits that meet such criteria will be all the more challenging given a disturbing global decline in the rate of discovery of major economic resources over the last decade, and the decreasing land area available for exploration and mining.
To attract responsible exploration and mining, governments of mining nations will need to provide: regional-scale geo-scientific datasets as required to attract and guide future generations of exploration; resource access through multiple and sequential land use regimes, and frameworks for dealing with indigenous peoples' issues; and arrangements for consideration of mining proposals and regulation of mines that ensure responsible management of environmental and social issues.
The minerals industry will need to continue to pursue advances in technologies for exploration, mining, processing, waste management and rehabilitation, and in public reporting of environmental and social performance.     

长江经济带城市生态环境协同发展能力评价

生态优先、绿色发展是长江经济带国家战略的核心要求,城市生态协同发展是落实"共抓大保护、不搞大开发"的关键。城市生态协同发展主要体现为特定地方对全流域生态环境质量的贡献度,体现了特定地方对流域性生态公共物品和服务的供给能力。长江经济带110个地级以上城市生态环境协同发展能力差异悬殊。协同发展水平较高的城市主要集中在经济发展水平较高、能耗和污染排放较少的城市以及经济发展水平不高、工业污染较少的城市。而生态协同发展能力较差的城市多集中在那些能耗和污染严重的地区。这些城市形成了三大一级城市群和八大二级城市子群的空间分异格局。该格局表明,区域经济发展水平与生态协同发展能力之间在现阶段并非存在着严格的对应关系。长江经济带生态协同发展需要切实体现一体化治理(流域性)、中央集中性治理(国家战略性)和经济、社会、生态、环境统筹性治理(复合地域生态系统)三大内在需求。从长江流域整个生态系统恢复与地方生态环境保护的分工协作入手,处理好中央与地方政府在流域生态环境治理中的责权利关系,实现上下游之间、中央与地方政府之间在生态环境治理实践中的战略协同。     

State mineral production taxes and mining law reform

Fuel and leasable minerals mined in the United States have historically been subject to federal royalties while locatable minerals have not. In recent years there have been multiple attempts to alter this policy and subject locatable minerals to federal royalties as well; most recently the preliminary 2012 Obama budget included a gross royalty on hard-rock mining on public lands. This paper analyzes the issue of imposing such federal royalties from both a legal and economic perspective. From a legal perspective, it is argued that the state of western property rights precludes royalties on currently extant claims so revenues from a royalty would not be realized for many years. From an economic perspective, it is argued that the effect on revenue would be smaller than one might anticipate due to such a royalty crowding out state levies or encouraging vertical disintegration on the part of mining firms to avoid much of the burden of the royalty.     

可持续发展理念下的能源产业战略

介绍了可持续发展理念的形成过程,分析了目前国内外能源产业状况及存在的问题。结合中国发展的实际情况,提出了中国能源产业在可持续理念下的六大战略,即:(1)在发展模式上,要实现从计划经济向市场经济、从粗放型向集约型发展模式的两个根本性转变,实施科技战略;(2)在能源消费上,要立足中国实际,在能源结构调整的同时,实施煤、油、气等多能源并举的多样化战略;(3)在能源供给上,考虑到世界经济全球化的大背景,应当加大实施"走出去"的战略;(4)在能源生产上,要积极开发各种能源,尤其是对新能源的开发和利用,实施新能源战略;(5)在能源产业上,要做到开发与节约并举,积极开展节能活动,实施节能优先战略;(6)在全局发展上,结合中国经济发展的实J际情况,要实施能源安全战略。     

Water stress, water transfer and social equity in Northern China--implications for policy reforms

Water stress in Northern China is characterized with major, inefficient irrigation water use and rapidly growing non-agricultural water demands, as well as limited water quantity and declining water quality. Water use in the region is undergoing transfer from agricultural to municipal and industrial sectors. Currently, part of the economic loss and environmental damage due to water stress can be considered as a consequence of water transfer failures, including the current transfers, which hurt farmers' livelihood and income, and the needed transfers, which industry and cities have been waiting for but have not received. This paper starts with a discussion of the causes of water stress in Northern China, which is fundamental to understand the necessity and complexity of agricultural water transfers. Following that, it reviews water transfers in Northern China as a cause for concern over the social stability, economy and environment of the region. Based on an integrated analysis of economic, environmental, fiscal and social implications, this paper begins by identifying critical barriers to smooth water redistribution; and ends with implications for policy reforms, ensuring that farmers can and will save water. It is concluded that the decisions of water reallocation under water stress should be shared by communities at all levels, from the local to the national, to ensure equal access of water, especially the availability of the basic water need for all groups.     

新时代天津市工业园区绿色发展策略研究

本文研究了天津市工业园区发展沿革和经济环境绩效,分析了2018—2020年园区“围城治理”措施及成效,识别新时代园区绿色发展面临的主要挑战,最后提出策略建议。研究发现：天津工业立市特征突出,工业园区更是主战场,曾为全国园区的发展起到重要带头作用。园区“围城治理”较好地解决了存量土地、环境等问题,开启了天津园区发展新阶段。天津市工业园区绿色发展仍面临基础薄弱、驱动力减弱、保留园区与被整合园区协同高质量发展路径不清晰等挑战。研究提出三项建议：一是立足天津在京津冀协同发展中的功能定位,提升园区科技创新平台功能,加速科技创新资源及高端创新要素向园区流动,提升产业链、供应链、创新链协同配套能力,激发园区科技创新动能。二是加强体制机制创新,全市强化园区顶层设计和统筹协调,分区分类制定园区跨越式发展策略并完善考核机制,开展绩效评价动态优化。三是以园区能源环境基础设施绿色化和数据驱动精细化管理能力提升为抓手,深化园区转型发展,提升产业能级。     

The role of price expectations and legal uncertainties in ocean mineral,exploration activities

In this paper, a standard exploration activities model is modified and applied to time series, data from deep seabed mining of a group of minerals where the number of patents is used as a proxy, for the level of mineral exploration activities. In addition to the rational expectations model, price, expectations formation for mineral prices is decomposed into trend and cyclical components using the, HP-filter method. Estimated parameters from the supply and cost functions are used to determine the, shadow price of the minerals. The non-linear instrumental variables estimator is employed to estimate, the exploration activities function. While the rational expectations model shows the importance of, current prices on exploration efforts, the HP-filter model suggests that firms concentrate on the trend, in prices rather than the short-run cyclical fluctuations. Also, while the U.S. refusal to ratify the LOSC, has increased the legal uncertainties surrounding the management of ocean resources and reduced the, incentive to engage in exploration activities, the passage of the ISA's main legislative accomplishment, regarding regulation of the explorations for polymetallic nodules appear to have made a positive effect.     

可持续发展视角下的资源环境承载力——内涵、特点与功能

我国明确提出可持续发展战略,并开始逐步实施.同时,我国已经提出了科学发展观与和谐社会的理念,这些政策与方针的提出就是力图实现在资源环境承载力约束条件下的最优发展.因此,首先应在理论上正确认识经济可持续增长的资源环境承载力问题,从内涵、特征与功能等方面对资源环境承载力进行系统梳理.这是实现资源环境承载力承载范围内最佳经济增长的前提条件,是正确制定和实施可持续发展战略的理论基础.     

ESTIMATING THE VALUE OF WATER AMONG REGIONAL ECONOMIC SECTORS USING THE 1972 NATIONAL INTERINDUSTRY FORMAT1

ABSTRACT: Recent growth in irrigated agriculture and metropolitan areas of the Western United States suggests that if growth continues, there will be a potential shortage in future water resources. Compound the expansion of agriculture and municipal demands with possible enaction of instream flow requirements, a method to allocate water among alternative economic sectors in the West is needed. In this study, an interindustry-linear programming model based on the 1972 national model format is used to allocate scarce water supplies among competing regional economic sectors. The shadow price of water and the sectorial value of water at different availabilities for each competing sector is derived. Also, economic sectors are ranked by value of water at different water availabilities.