The role of business in sustainable consumption

This paper explores the role of the business community in promoting sustainable consumption. While businesses play an important role in shaping social trends, including the growth of material consumption, allegations that individual corporations wield excessive power may have been overstated. Most of the time corporations are simply playing by the rules and culture of the market.Businesses have mostly assumed that their contribution to sustainability lies in improving eco-efficiency—staying within the current business framework. But sustainable consumption will require wider change, including shifts in the incentives that shape the actions of businesses and others, and a change in the culture that underlies market expectations. Firms, governments, the media and civil society may need to enter a dialogue together to develop a new story about the nature of prosperity and the role of the business community in promoting it. The initiative is most likely to come from civil society.     

Sustainable consumption progress: should we be proud or alarmed?

Many environmental strategies relying on a mere improvement of resource productivity and eco-efficiency of processes and products are not able to fully address the environmental impacts induced by increasing consumption. In addition to these strategies, the concept of sustainable consumption calls for changing the levels and patterns of consumption, which require complimentary approaches. However, so far, there has been a noticeable lack of strategies that conceive ways of shifting from a material-intensive consumer culture to a society with less materialistic aspirations.This paper aims to provide a critical overview of the current debate, research trends and main outcomes relating to the area of sustainable consumption. It is based on the study commissioned by the Swedish EPA and focuses on current research streams and activities of main stakeholders. It identifies and discusses the gaps in the existing range of initiatives and policy instruments towards sustainable consumption.     

物质流分析视角下北京市物质代谢研究

作为"重大国家战略"的"京津冀一体化"日益引起社会各界的高度重视,推动其进程的加快,首先要解决的就是该区域的资源环境问题,而北京作为该经济圈的核心,其资源环境问题的解决更是起着关键性的作用.在提高城市环境质量、改善人们生存环境方面,北京市仍任重而道远.运用物质流分析方法(EW-MFA)可以深入探讨社会经济发展与资源消耗及环境污染之间的关系,从而为社会经济发展过程中资源环境问题的解决提供科学依据.因此,本文采用欧盟物质流核算框架(EW-MFA)建立了北京市"吞吐"状态的物质代谢模型.结果表明:1992—2014年北京市的物质输入与输出总体呈上升趋势,矿物和化石燃料是北京市物质输入的主要组成部分;受社会经济发展水平的影响,北京市的物质投入强度表现出先上升后下降的趋势;研究期间内物质代谢效率不断提高.针对北京市的资源环境问题,应转变传统发展理念,不能一味地追求物质财富的增加而忽略生态环境的影响,且不断推动技术的革新和产业结构的调整应成为实现社会经济可持续发展的有效路径.     

中国食物生产消费系统碳素动态变化及其环境负荷

基于物质流原理,分析了1995~2016年中国食物生产消费系统的变化情况,测算并评价了食物生产消费系统碳素流动变化及食物碳消费导致的碳素环境负荷变化.结果表明：食物农业生产系统中碳汇和碳排总量整体均呈上升趋势,且碳汇增速明显高于碳排增速;食物生产系统碳素环境负荷中畜禽养殖产生的碳素环境负荷呈下降趋势,农用物资、农业活动及食物加工运输相关产生的碳环境负荷呈快速上升趋势.食物消费系统中,居民食物碳消费发生变化,居民碳消费结构从“以粮食碳消费为主”的饮食结构转变为“以粮食、肉类、食用植物油碳消费为主”的多元饮食结构,农村居民人均食物碳消费量由95.24kg/（人×a）降低至71.62kg/（人×a）,城镇居民人均食物碳消费量由52.06kg/（人×a）升至65.16kg/（人×a）.分析食物消费系统碳素环境负荷,进入大气的碳素环境负荷占主体地位,其次是土壤和水体,近年来进入土壤和水体的碳素比例增加.分析表明减少食物生产消费系统碳素环境负荷的措施,包括引导居民优化饮食结构,减少生活污水与厨余垃圾产生量,提高厨余垃圾与粪便还田比例,将系统中产生的废弃物内部循环利用等.     

城市消费系统可回收资源的循环利用

文中论述了城市消费系统可回收资源在建立循环型社会中的重要性，并根据建立循环型社会的基本要求，从不同层面分析了可回收资源的发展趋势及利用途径，提出在城市的循环经济规划、设计和建设应充分考虑对消费系统废弃物的回收利用。     

哈尔滨市城乡居民生活消费的环境压力分析

论文用生态足迹理论和方法,定量研究哈尔滨市城乡居民食物、生活用品、生活用能、水资源、住区和生活污染等6类消费项的环境压力,为引导城市化发展和城乡居民建立可持续消费模式提供科学依据。结果显示,1985～2003年哈尔滨市人均生活消费的环境压力不断增大,并在此期间超过生态承载力,产生生态赤字。城镇居民生活消费及各分项足迹均大于农村居民,差距呈加大趋势。在消费构成上,城镇和农村居民的食物消费足迹最大,2003年两者分别为1.054hm²/人和0.711hm²/人,城镇人均动物性食物消费数量显著大于农村,是其食物足迹较大的主要原因;在生态空间占用上,耕地占用面积最大,城乡居民分别为0.947hm²/人和0.700hm²/人,分别占其总足迹的58.7%和73.4%。研究表明,城镇化发展和消费升级将进一步加大区域环境压力。     

江苏省经济的可持续发展评价

提出了基于生态环境绩效和社会效益的经济可持续发展的定义,并引入多边形综合指标法,根据经济发展、资源能源消耗、生态环境压力、社会效益4个方面对江苏省1990～2003年经济可持续发展状态进行了定量评价和分析.结果表明,江苏省经济可持续发展综合指数从1990年的0.123上升到2003年的0.521.经济可持续发展的协调性在1990～1996年逐年增强,但在1996年后有所下降.综合指数(D)与经济发展(EDI)、资源能源消耗(RCI)、生态环境压力(EPI)、社会效益(SBI)4个分指数之间的关系可以用线性方程D=0.152EDI+0.308RCI+0.453EPI+0.502SBI-0.458表征.今后决策中,要把经济发展的社会效益放在首要关注位置,特别关注发展过程中的公平性问题.     

The role of social processes for sustainable consumption

Rethinking the role consumption plays in individual well-being and societal development is key for addressing pressing environmental problems. We perceive the need to envision consumption as a social activity, which requires the active engagement of consumers in order to better enhance their quality of life. The paper focuses on the framework of Product Service Systems, one particular programme for more sustainable consumption. After reviewing the potential benefits and limitations of this programme, we explore the opportunities to learn from participatory and community-based strategies like LETS.     

From the Whitehorse Mining Initiative Towards Sustainable Mining: lessons learned

Much debate has taken place within the mineral policy community about whether or not meaningful progress has been made towards more sustainable practices. This paper investigates the changing approaches towards sustainable development undertaken by the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) over a period of approximately 20 years. The analysis begins in the early 1990s when MAC initiated the Whitehorse Mining Initiative (WMI) and concludes in 2010 when the association was operating under a strategy entitled Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM). The goal is to consider the nature of the learning that has taken place towards sustainability within the mineral industry using the case of a leading national mining association. The investigation was undertaken through a literature review as well as key informant interviews with stakeholders affected by the Canadian Mining Industry. Findings suggest that MAC’s approach to sustainable development has shifted from an ambitious and holistic partnership involving a range of stakeholders to a focused, member-specific agenda that addresses a few performance issues. The transition to TSM was based on lessons learned through working with the WMI and subsequent efforts. It reflects broader corporate tendencies to address social and ecological issues through corporate social responsibility initiatives. The implications of these trends suggest that voluntary initiatives in and of themselves should not be expected to replace the comprehensive regulatory responsibilities historically provided by government.     

全球粮食贸易网络格局及其影响因素

基于复杂网络分析方法,构建了小麦、水稻、玉米三大主粮的全球粮食贸易网络,解析了网络格局的总体特征及其变化态势,定量评估了全球粮食贸易网络格局影响因素。研究发现：全球粮食贸易已经成为一个复杂有序、相互依赖的网络系统,网络规模不断增加,连同性和紧密度不断加强;全球粮食贸易网络节点呈现非均衡结构特征,高强度和高节点度国家在网络中具有主导作用,呈现出口国主导的网络结构特征;经济社会发展差异性、贸易政策的一致性和语言文化邻近性对粮食贸易网络影响显著,经济社会发展差异推动贸易网络联系更加紧密且多元化,贸易政策的一致性促进贸易网络更加持续和稳健。建议中国继续实施更加多元化、多边化的粮食贸易政策,提升中国在世界粮食网络节点的中心性特征,充分利用国内国际两个市场,融入全球粮食贸易网络体系,积极推动构建全球粮食安全命运共同体。     

可持续交通

全球存在有广泛的认知 ,目前的交通趋势是不可持续的。很多学者总结认为 ,我们需要在交通系统的技术、设计、运行和财政上进行根本性的变革。本文探讨了可持续发展的定义 ,以及交通造成的环境影响、能源消费和公平问题 ,并结合国内外文献从 :(1)交通技术 ;(2 )交通供应 ;(3)交通需求 ;(4)交通方式四个方面提出发展可持续交通的基本理念 ,并给出相关的国外的成功实践 ,以期对我国建设生态城市和生态交通提供可借鉴的信息。     

Corporate social responsibility in the mining industry: Exploring trends in social and environmental disclosure

In recent years, concerns about the sustainability and social responsibility (CSR) of businesses have become an increasingly high profile issue in many countries and industries, none more so than the mining industry. For mining, one outcome of the CSR agenda is the increasing need for individual companies to justify their existence and document their performance through the disclosure of social and environmental information. This paper explores recent trends in the reporting of such impacts and issues in the global mining industry. It offers a detailed review of the development of the media of social and environmental disclosure in the mining industry, and of the factors that drive the development of such disclosure. A temporal analysis of the recent trends in disclosure using a case study of the world's 10 largest mining companies is presented. Whilst there is evidence of increasing sophistication in the development of social and environmental disclosure, there is considerable variation in the maturity of reporting content and styles of these companies. The paper offers a simple classification of reporting companies, from ‘leaders’ to ‘laggards’. Stronger leadership and co-operation from the top reporting companies is necessary to support the laggards of the industry.     

Implementing stricter environmental regulation to enhance eco-efficiency and sustainability: a case study of Shandong Province’s pulp and paper industry, China

There has been much debate on the topic of whether stricter environmental regulations can promote environmental performance and economic performance at the same time. Different researchers have used different indicators to measure environmental performance and economic performance in their empirical studies. However, it is a surprise that few studies have checked the relationship between environmental regulation and eco-efficiency, as the latter is widely regarded as a quite powerful tool of considering ecology and economy together.In this study the background is the implementation in 2003 of the Stricter Discharge Standard (SDS) in Shandong Province’s Pulp and Paper Industry (SPPI), compared to the national standards of China. The stricter regulations were intended to promote corporate change from passive management to active control and from end-of-pipe treatment to cleaner production. This study investigated the eco-efficiency trends of SPPI from 2001 to 2008 in three fields: water efficiency, energy efficiency and environment efficiency. A “de-linking” and “re-linking” tool was used to attain a further evaluation. The study showed that with the implementation of stricter regulation most of the efficiency indicators (except CO₂ emission and energy consumption) had achieved significant improvements, and the overall environmental performance trends of SPPI showed it to be more sustainable. However, the study also found that it was not enough to address a single indicator in the environmental regulation of the pulp and paper industry. More holistic eco-efficiency indicators need to be further considered and introduced to the industry as the next step to create true sustainable development.     

城市可持续性发展的不同分析方法对比研究

城市可持续性发展的分析方法有很多种。方法不同,结论也可能不同。文章旨在通过实例研究不同分析方法之间的差别,提出一种城市可持续性发展分析中能够应用的综合评价框架。并以成都市的发展为实例,重点比较分析2种方法,即熵值法和趋势分析方法。分析结果表明熵值法和趋势分析法在分析结果上有很大的区别。如前者侧重于经济发展,因而得出成都市的发展趋势是强可持续的;后者强调经济、能耗、及福利之间的相互关系,得出的结论是成都市的发展属于是能耗型发展,即社会福利和经济增长的同时,能耗也在增加。因而在分析判断城市是否可持续发展时,有必要采取不同类型的方法综合判定城市的可持续发展程度。并在制定政策以确保城市的可持续性发展时,综合考虑环境、经济、社会等各个方面的影响,并进行合理的调整,使之相互协调,共同发展。     

资源可持续利用评价——基于资源福利指数的实证分析

资源可持续利用是可持续发展的核心和重要组成部分,论文将资源可持续利用置于 "自然-经济-社会" 三位一体的复杂系统中进行研究,以资源的综合利用效率为视角,结合人类发展指数(HDI)和生态足迹指数(EFI),提出资源福利指数(RWI),即单位资源投入所产出的福利水平,目的是全面反映在利用资源发展经济的同时反馈给社会的综合效率水平。论文以包括G20 国在内的24 个国家作为研究样本,分析1996-2008 年间各国的HDI、EFI 和RWI的变化情况,以此为依据来评价资源的可持续利用状况,24 个国家资源的可持续利用大致分为三类。第一类,良性发展:RWI增长率>0,社会福利提高,资源消耗减少;第二类,次良性正向发展:RWI增长率>0,社会福利水平和资源消耗都增长,但前者增长的速度高于后者;第三类,次恶性正向发展:RWI增长率<0,社会福利水平和资源消耗都增加,但前者增长的速度低于后者。     

An integrated approach to achieving campus sustainability: assessment of the current campus environmental management practices

Universities can nowadays be regarded as ‘small cities’ due to their large size, population, and the various complex activities taking place in campuses, which have some serious direct and indirect impacts on the environment. The environmental pollution and degradation caused by universities in form of energy and material consumption via activities and operations in teaching and research, provision of support services and in residential areas could be considerably reduced by an effective choice of organizational and technical measures. Although many environmental protection measures can be seen at some universities, but a more systematic and sustainable approach to reducing the negative impacts of those activities and making the campuses more sustainable, is generally lacking. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework of a more suitable approach to achieving campus sustainability that could remedy the limitations of the current environmental management practices in universities and ensures more sustainability through the integration of three strategies, namely: university Environmental Management System (EMS); public participation and social responsibility; and promoting sustainability in teaching and research.     

上海都市农业可持续发展的定量综合评价

在借鉴国内外已有相关研究成果的基础上,构建了一套能凸显都市农业特色的可持续发展评价指标体系,选用以层次分析法与信息熵法相结合确定指标权重为核心的数学模型与方法,从时间尺度上对1993年上海自开展都市农业实践以来的都市农业可持续发展进行定量综合评价。结果表明:①人口子系统已逐步成为阻碍都市农业可持续发展的主要因素之一,经济子系统逐渐成为都市农业可持续发展的主要贡献因子,社会子系统对都市农业可持续发展的促进作用越来越大,农地资源短缺且持续减少,制约着都市农业可持续发展能力的提高,农业生产自身污染负荷较重,影响着都市农业可持续发展能力的全面提升;②都市农业可持续发展的R-D综合指数不高,下降趋势明显,都市农业可持续发展的资源压力较大且持续增加,E-D综合指数较低,变化幅度不大,都市农业可持续发展的环境压力大但趋向稳定;③可持续发展综合评价指数经过前期波浪式增减后持续稳步攀升,都市农业可持续发展能力增强态势明显。     

Crisis or opportunity? Economic degrowth for social equity and ecological sustainability. Introduction to this special issue

This article reviews the burgeoning emerging literature on sustainable degrowth. This is defined as an equitable downscaling of production and consumption that increases human well-being and enhances ecological conditions at the local and global level, in the short and long term. The paradigmatic propositions of degrowth are that economic growth is not sustainable and that human progress without economic growth is possible. Degrowth proponents come from diverse origins. Some are critics of market globalization, new technologies or the imposition of western models of development in the rest of the world. All criticize GDP accounting though they propose often different social and ecological indicators. Degrowth theorists and practitioners support an extension of human relations instead of market relations, demand a deepening of democracy, defend ecosystems, and propose a more equal distribution of wealth. We distinguish between depression, i.e. unplanned degrowth within a growth regime, and sustainable degrowth, a voluntary, smooth and equitable transition to a regime of lower production and consumption. The question we ask is how positive would degrowth be if instead of being imposed by an economic crisis, it would actually be a democratic collective decision, a project with the ambition of getting closer to ecological sustainability and socio-environmental justice worldwide.Most articles in this issue were originally presented at the April 2008 conference in Paris on Economic Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity. This conference brought the word degrowth and the concepts around it into an international academic setting. Articles of this special issue are summarized in this introductory article. Hueting, d'Alessandro and colleagues, van den Bergh, Kerschner, Spangenberg and Alcott discuss whether current growth patterns are (un)sustainable and offer different perspectives on what degrowth might mean, and whether and under what conditions it might be desirable. Matthey and Hamilton focus on social dynamics and the obstacles and opportunities for voluntary social action towards degrowth. Lietaert and Cattaneo with Gavaldà offer a down-to-earth empirical discussion of two practical living experiments: cohousing and squats, highlighting the obstacles for scaling up such alternatives. Finally van Griethuysen explains why growth is an imperative in modern market economies, raising also the question whether degrowth is possible without radical institutional changes.     

近30年黄河流域降水量的时空演变特征

利用中国气象局和黄河水利委员会近30年269个观测站的降水资料,采用光滑薄面样条插值法对黄河流域各月及年降水量进行插值,在ArcMap/ArcInfo中进行图象处理和分类,完成了1km×1km栅格降水的空间化,在此基础上分析了降水的空间分布。利用GIS软件编程实现了Mann-Kendall非参数统计法与空间化技术的结合,生成了各月及年降水在空间上随时间的变化趋势图。结果表明:27年来,流域总降水量呈下降趋势,空间上表现为北半部以增加为主,南半部以减少为主。各月间差异很大,在秋冬季节,以下降趋势为主,部分地区达到显著;春夏季节除少数月份外,大部分地区降水量有不显著的增加趋势。全年降水呈下降趋势的月份占多数,但主要集中在降水较少的秋冬季节,呈增加趋势的月份集中在雨水充沛的春夏,这种变化趋势使得降水的分布更加不平衡,表现为秋冬季的降水减少,而雨水较多的5～7月降水有微弱的增加趋势。     

西藏粮食安全状况及主要粮食供需关系研究

西藏粮食安全事关当地的长治久安以及社会经济的可持续发展。论文基于2010年农户层面的食物消费调研数据,并且结合粮食市场调研、粮食加工企业调研以及政府部门调研数据等,在研究西藏粮食生产和消费基础之上,重点分析了西藏主要粮食（青稞、小麦和水稻）供应和需求之间的关系。结果显示,全区粮食供应数量较高,特别是外地调入粮食供给能力不断增强,提高了西藏粮食安全保障程度。2010年全区主要粮食生产为85.09万t,而家庭层面主要粮食消费为88.81万t,粮食生产和消费基本持平;但是考虑到本地粮食消费比重为60.8%,2010年本地粮食消费只有54.0万t。从整个西藏地区来看,虽然西藏地区粮食供应已经大于其需求（西藏地区三大粮食作物总供应146.3万t,而总需求超过95.9万t,供应为需求的1.5倍）,但是从不同地区来看,区域之间的粮食供需差别非常大,尤其是藏北牧区（主要是那曲地区）,粮食缺口比较大,未来需要加强藏北地区粮食的供给力度,提升其粮食安全的保障能力。随着内地粮食进藏数量和种类不断增加,未来需要进一步转变粮食购销体制系统,把粮食生产者（即农民）考虑在粮食流通市场之内,进一步加强和重视西藏粮食生产者在粮食流通中所发挥的作用,从而增加西藏农村地区家庭中余粮流通,增加青稞特色产业发展,提高农民收入。