Eco-efficiency and SMEs in Nova Scotia,Canada

This paper describes a study undertaken by the Eco-Efficiency Centre of the levels of eco-efficiency demonstrated by small and medium enterprises in Nova Scotia. The history of eco-efficiency is described and several definitions of the term put forward by the many agencies and organizations promoting it are discussed. Emphasis is placed on definitions used in Canada, particularly those of Industry Canada and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. After reviewing a large number of environmental management and eco-efficiency tools, the Centre determined that none of these were appropriate for small businesses in Nova Scotia and opted to develop its own checklist. The study concludes that levels of eco-efficiency are quite low among businesses in different sectors and furthermore, that more work is needed to find appropriate tools for micro and small businesses that can be more widely used.     

利用地理信息系统进行土壤调查

2006年10月铁岭市按照辽宁省环境监测中心站土壤调查要求,依据《全国土壤调查总体实施方案》开始了典型区域样品采集工作,本文主要就利用GIS布置采样点和到达采样点如何导航做了技术上的经验分析。     

解决城市污水处理设施发展资金缺口战略

为解决城市污水处理设施建设和运营存在着严重的资金缺口的问题,运用FEASIBLE模型,选择四川省14个位于三峡库区影响地带的市/县,对其污水处理设施建设和运营的资金缺口进行模拟计算和预测.基于模拟结果提出3种不同的融资战略:纳税人付费融资战略、使用者付费融资战略和市场导向融资战略,并对其可行性进行分析.结果表明:任何一种融资战略实施起来都有难度,纳税人付费融资战略并不能确保实现城市污水处理设施的发展目标;而使用者付费融资战略和市场导向融资战略的可行性严重依赖于城市污水处理设施部门的制度和法律的改革及地方政府融资.      

水污染防治领域的技术预见

针对水污染防治领域开展了技术预见研究。通过德尔菲调查法所获数据及其结果分析,确定出排名最高的10项技术课题,作为未来水污染防治领域的关键技术课题,其中共涉及6个领域:城镇污水处理与回用,饮用水净化与安全,工业废水处理与回用,农村、农业污水处理与回用,地下水体污染控制以及微量有毒物质的防控。分析表明,10项关键技术课题的预期实现时间集中在2014年-2018年;领先国家或地区主要是美国、日本和欧盟;发展路径选择最多的是集成创新的方式;技术本身可行性、市场需求、政策支持是最主要的3个制约其发展的因素;目前所处的阶段主要是实际应用阶段。     

Efficiency of bait usage in the Nova Scotia lobster fishery: a first look

In studies of commercial fishing, little attention has been paid to the use of bait. We examined lobster fishery bait-to-catch ratios in St. Margaret's Bay and Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Data were obtained from the Fishermen and Scientists Research Society's Lobster Recruitment Project. Local ecological knowledge of the resource users from within the study area was also gathered using semi-structured interviews. The estimated amount of bait required to catch each lobster, weighing about 480 g, ranged from 185 g (November) to 1455 g (April) for average months during the 2002/3, 2003/4 and 2004/5 fishing seasons. We estimated the overall ratio of bait-to-catch to be about 1.9 units of bait per unit of catch. The eco-efficiency and food-supply implications of consuming more bait than product in a fishery are outlined.     

The greenhouse gas intensity of the tourism sector: The case of Switzerland

Greenhouse gas intensity is a ratio comparing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of an activity or economic sector to the economic value it generates. In recent years, many countries have calculated the GHG intensity of their economic sectors as a basis for policy making. The GHG intensity of tourism, however, has not been determined since tourism is not measured as an economic sector in the national accounts. While for tourism-reliant countries it would be useful to know this quantity, a number of difficulties exist in its determination. In this study, we determine the GHG intensity of tourism's value added in Switzerland by means of a detailed bottom-up approach with the main methodological focus on how to achieve consistent system boundaries. For comparison, we calculate the tourism sector's GHG intensity for selected European countries using a simpler top-down approach. Our results show that the Swiss tourism sector is more than four times more GHG intensive than the Swiss economy on average. Of all tourism's sub-sectors, air transport stands out as the sector with by far largest emissions (80%) and highest GHG intensity. The results for other countries make similar, if not as pronounced, patterns apparent. We discuss the results and possible mitigation options against the background of the goal to prevent dangerous climate change.     

中国工业园区绿色发展政策对比分析及对策研究

为了提升我国工业园区绿色发展水平,对目前我国工业园区发展历程、现状特征进行了分析,对工业园区绿色发展政策进行了梳理和对比,并结合工业园区绿色发展中存在的问题提出了对策建议.研究表明:①我国工业园区经历了快速发展、调整发展和科学发展等阶段,在经济发展、资源与能源优化利用、污染减排等方面成效显著.②我国工业园区绿色发展的相关政策主要体现在国家生态工业示范园区创建、园区循环化改造、国家低碳工业园区试点、绿色园区建设和UNIDO绿色工业园区创建等工作中,这些政策在推动主体、实施路径、侧重方向上各不相同又各有特色,对推动工业园区节能减排绩效明显.③目前,我国工业园区绿色发展存在的问题主要表现在重视程度有待提升、风险防范意识有待加强、创新能力有待提高等方面.为此,提出了我国工业园区绿色发展对策建议:积极践行绿色发展理念,推进园区绿色化、生态化、低碳化建设,实现经济环境双赢;注意环境风险防控,确保环境安全;创新管理机制,强化监督管理.      

环境规划中的非线性特征

 在实际环境规划中,很少考虑到非线性特征对环境投入的效益影响.以国内外目前主要3类水环境规划为例,研究了环境投入与环境改善之间的关系.对每一类环境规划,环境改善均随投入的增加而迅速减少.由于传统的环境管理或规划在选择下一种措施之前总是将大部分费用投入到前一种措施中,因此传统的环境管理或规划忽略了环境系统有关的非线性特征.应将有关费用投入以保证下一步措施获得最大的环境改善.与传统的环境管理或规划相比,这种考虑环境系统有关非线性特征影响的投入策略可以达到用较少的经费获得迅速的环境改善.     

“十一五”辽宁省生活垃圾污染防治对策探讨

在分析辽宁省生活垃圾产生量逐年增加、组份日益复杂、生活垃圾混合收集，处理设施建设滞后等现状及问题的基础上，提出了“十一五”期间要树立“垃圾是放错位置的资源”的概念，以“减量化、无害化、资源化”为原则，通过实施循环经济，将垃圾最大化利用，同时进一步提出了“十一五”期间辽宁省生活垃圾污染防治的管理与工程对策。     

Improving cleaner production through the application of environmental management tools in China

Cleaner Production (CP) as a strategy for reducing negative environmental impacts throughout the production processes avoids and decreases pollution at its source and increases the competitiveness of enterprises. Since the establishment of China's goal for quadrupling its gross domestic product between 2000 and 2020, while improving its environmental performance and maintaining social stability, ‘win-win’ concepts such as CP are playing an increasingly prominent role in the country's development plans. Consequently, China's efforts to create a favourable policy and institutional framework for the promotion of CP that includes its unique national “CP Promotion Law” which governs the implementation of all CP activities in the country are encouraging. However, China has encountered significant challenges in improving, on a large scale, the environmental performance of its industries. Factors such as the difficulty in mainstreaming CP in industries, limited institutional resources as well as constraints in financial and technical resources of small and medium-sized enterprises have hindered the widespread adoption of CP. In addition, due to local peculiarities and disparities, different regional approaches for its implementation have evolved. This paper describes and analyses how the application of an environmental management tool in Zhejiang Province has enhanced the environmental, economic and organisational benefits of CP in enterprises.     

Characterization of colloidal arsenic at two abandoned gold mine sites in Nova Scotia, Canada, using asymmetric flow-field flow fractionation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Asymmetric flow-field flow fractionation-inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry was used to determine whether colloidal arsenic(As) exists in soil pore water and soil extract samples at two arsenic-contaminated abandoned gold mines(Montague and Goldenville, Nova Scotia). Colloidal arsenic was found in 12 out of the 80 collected samples(= 15%), and was primarily associated with iron(Fe) in the encountered colloids. The molar Fe/As ratios indicate that the colloids in some samples appeared to be discrete iron–arsenic minerals, whereas in other samples, they were more consistent with As-rich iron(oxy)hydroxides. Up to three discrete size fractions of colloidal As were encountered in the samples, with mean colloid diameters between 6 and 14 nm. The pore water samples only contained one size fraction of As-bearing colloids(around 6 nm diameter), while larger As-bearing colloids were only encountered in soil extracts.     

大气污染排放格局优化方法及案例

目前改善空气质量的方法包括末端治理、产业结构调整、能源结构调整以及交通结构调整等,鲜见大气排放空间格局优化的方法.因此,本研究团队基于自然环境、人体健康、污染物传输能力和气象扩散条件等多种因素,使用阈值、自然间断点分级和空间擦除等方法划定大气环境布局适宜区;并据此优化调整大气排放格局,实现空气质量改善;再以广东省为例,校验空气质量改善效益以及探讨大气环境分区对排放格局优化的引导应用.结果表明,广东省环境空气质量一类区面积占全省9%;人口密集区占3%;国控站点敏感区占15%;污染物积聚区占22%;大气环境布局适宜区占60%,主要分布在粤西.通过推动广东省非火电工业源移入大气环境布局适宜区,可以使全省PM_2.5平均改善4%,城市最大改善10%.排放格局优化是空气质量持续改善方法中的一种创新性辅助支撑技术,在实际应用中,可以结合能源与产业结构调整、污染控制技术提升和跨区域联合防控,综合制定最可行的空气质量改善方案.     

我国可持续发展的矿产资源基础

我国是世界上矿产生产和消费大国。由于工业化起步晚、人口基数大，我国矿产资源相对不足。欲在此资源基础上实施国家可持续发展战略，除了继续增加资金和技术投入以扩大资源总量及完善法制和管理以加强节约外，加大矿产资源供应系统的开放性，增加关键短缺矿种，特别是油气资源的进口十分重要。世界工业化发展历史和我国多年经济发展的实践证明，高速的经济发展有赖于更为开放的矿产资源供应，而生活水平的提高和日益恶化的生态环境则迫使能源消费结构不断革新。从这一点出发，未来矿产资源供应建立在国内和国际市场“两个轮子”之上必将成为我国矿产可持续发展战略的重要组成部分。     

"APELL计划"及其在长江南京段溢油事故应急处置中的应用

长江南京段的溢油事故具有形式多样、爆发突然、危害性大、处理处置艰巨、影响长期等特点,根据"APELL计划"宗旨及其在世界和我国实施的效果,借鉴国内外溢油事故应急处置经验,建立了长江南京段溢油事故的应急处置计划,为有效预防事故发生、减轻事故危害和损失提供指导和借鉴.     

对外开放背景下中国粮食安全形势研判与战略选择

中美地缘政治竞争加剧,新冠肺炎疫情、极端天气气候等不确定性事件频发,依托两种资源两个市场的国家粮食安全策略面临新的挑战。结合统计数据与文献观点,分析了新时期中国粮食安全面临的主要问题,研究了农业开放保障粮食安全的主要效用,探索了扩大对外开放背景下我国粮食安全的保障思路。结果表明：（1）中国粮食安全取得了显著成就,但也存在粮食供应的经济与资源环境代价巨大、粮食稳定供应与获取的风险加大等问题,需要在开放条件下创新粮食安全实现路径。（2）农业对外开放可影响粮食供应、获取、利用与稳定性,当前对外开放促进了国家粮食供应,但尚未实现稳定的食物安全、有竞争力的食物安全。农业对外开放仍有广泛的互惠共赢基础,同时也面临更大的不确定性,考验我国粮食领域应对全球化“危”“机”的治理能力。（3）国家粮食安全治理对于保障粮食安全至关重要,建议采取凸显产能的粮食自给战略、全产业链的食物安全战略与高水平的农业对外开放战略,确保粮食安全落实落地。     

Definitions and organizational practice of sustainability in the for-profit sector of Nova Scotia

The term “sustainability” has been a part of local, national, and international environmental discussions for well over a decade. First legitimized by the United Nations in 1987 with the release of the Brundtland Commission and Our Common Future (WCED, 1987), the term “sustainability” is now often used in more mainstream contexts. However, given our continued global ecological decline (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005), the question remains: do decision makers within organizations really have a clear idea of what sustainability is? Further, are they able to communicate that vision in such a way as it can be operationalized within their organizations?Organizations are faced with a high degree of uncertainty when attempting to move towards sustainability. The immense amount of literature and information available about the concept is daunting, especially for harried managers of small businesses who must respond to many competing needs and interests. Although many concepts, frameworks, and tools are available for business executives to use, there have been relatively less attempts to develop a rigorous, applied definition of sustainability that can be clearly understood, implemented, and measured within and across organizations. Given the abundance of concepts, frameworks, and tools, with the corresponding dearth of overarching frameworks, one may wonder what are executives learning from all this literature, and how it is being diffused into strategy, planning, and operations? This study aims to gain insight into executives’ thinking around definitions and the implementation of sustainability practices in Nova Scotia. The findings of this study indicate that there are three key relationships of significance in this area including: type of definition and ease of articulation; type of definition and type of experience; and type of definition, type of experience, and integration of strategic and operational planning.     

垦利县耕地资源变化及其驱动力研究

耕地是人类宝贵的自然资源,其面积变化反映了社会经济的发展,对国家粮食安全有着重要的影响,近年来耕地资源日益减少的现象引起了人们的普遍关注。文章对1995年到2004年十年间东营市垦利县的耕地资源变化数据进行分析,指出造成其变化的主要环境驱动因子包括自然因素、社会经济发展以及耕地保护政策不够完善等。在此基础上,结合地区经济现状,提出要实现垦利县耕地资源的可持续利用,必须在开源节流的同时重视土地利用总体规划,依赖政策体系的完善和科技因素的加强。     

The Toronto Region Sustainability Program: insights on the adoption of pollution prevention practices by small to medium-sized manufacturers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

The Toronto Region Sustainability Program (TRSP) is a multi-year action-and-results oriented program which provides small to medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SME) (defined as <500 employees at facility level) in the GTA with pollution prevention (P2) technical assistance, coupled with a financial incentive to address the root causes of their pollutants and waste streams and improve their environmental performance. The program has been successful in establishing partnerships with three orders (levels) of government and a third party delivery agent—the Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology Advancement (OCETA)—to achieve significant reductions in pollutants/waste generation and to promote the implementation of pollution prevention practices within SME manufacturing facilities. This paper shares insights on how the program works and uses case studies as illustrative examples to highlight the P2 methods adopted, the resulting environmental burden reductions, as well as the value-added benefits to the TRSP clients' business bottom line. Furthermore, this paper outlines the findings of a survey conducted by OCETA to identify TRSP clients' key drivers for program participation, their implementation status, and the challenges encountered in implementing P2 projects. It is hoped that the insights from this paper will expand the boundaries of P2 knowledge within the P2 community, and motivate SMEs in various sectors to incorporate P2 as a sustainable business strategy.     

江苏省城市生活垃圾特征处理现状及存在问题

在调查收集了大量资料的基础上,从地级市、县、中心镇三个层次总结了江苏省城市生活垃圾的特征、处理现状及其存在的问题。提出,江苏省城市生活垃圾产量、可燃组分、热值逐年上升,含水量基本保持稳定,容重、碴石含量呈下降趋势;目前江苏省填埋、焚烧、堆肥和综合四种处理方式中均有一些问题,且能够达到国家标准的很少;还存在管理体制不顺,缺少资金,减量化、资源化尚未引起重视,法规不健全,混合收集,废品回收率低,处理模式单一、技术落后等问题。这些都使控制垃圾产生、实现资源回收利用并确定其处理方式,以及进一步推动江苏省城市生活垃圾处理的深入研究十分必要。     

基于生命周期评价的清洁生产模式研究

从实现企业可持续发展的目标出发,将生命周期评价引入企业清洁生产,构建了相关模式。该模式基于边界确定、清单分析、数据处理、方案确定、方案实施等5个方面,在对企业生产现状全面调查、分析及研究的基础上,确定企业开展清洁生产审计的对象,分析审计对象的物料和能源损失及污染物产生和排放原因,为寻求清洁生产机会和制定实施清洁生产方案奠定基础。分析了该模式在实际应用中存在的问题,并提出了相关对策建议。