Education for sustainable development – an inter‐disciplinary pilot module for undergraduate engineers and scientists

The coming together of a number of initiatives provided a springboard for an innovative pilot programme in education for sustainable development. For some time problem‐based learning has gathered momentum as an approach to educating professionals. More recently, there has been a burgeoning interest in inter‐disciplinary approaches to the complex societal and environmental issues that face the world as a whole. At the same time, professional engineering institutions have been reflecting on appropriate approaches to the education and development of future engineers. Building on work already undertaken by some of the authors, the Royal Academy of Engineering sponsored an inter‐disciplinary pilot programme in sustainable development for undergraduate engineers and scientists in the University of Manchester. The pilot was innovative not only in its inter‐disciplinary approach to sustainable development but also in its approach to the development of the curriculum. Inter‐disciplinary exercises were designed that enabled a contextual, active, collaborative and cumulative approach to learning. The assessment was also designed to align to the learning approach. Evaluation of the pilot programme suggests that it was well received by the students, and the post‐doctoral researchers who acted as facilitators, and also that there were gains in both understanding of the issues and also in approaches to learning.     

面向可持续发展的经济系统环境分析及其对策

本文首先集中论述了经济系统可持续发展所面临的主要环境，然后提出了其可持续发展的基本对策建议，以期为我国全面实施可持续发展战略提供参考。     

中国可持续发展问题的系统动力学研究进展

可持续发展问题是当前的一个研究热点。鉴于可持续发展问题的综合性、系统性和复杂性。系统动力学是这一研究的有效工具。本文简要回顾了我国学者近年来应用系统动力学研究可持续发展问题的部分工作，提出了在这一领域进一步研究的若干方向。     

全球可持续发展面临的挑战与对策

全球可持续发展涉及可持续经济、可持续环境和可持续社会三方面的协调统一,要求人类在发展中讲究经济效率、关注环境和谐与追求社会公平,最终达到人的全面发展。自1992年联合国环境与发展大会以来,国际社会积极推动实施《关于环境与发展的里约宣言》、《21世纪议程》和《可持续发展首脑会议执行计划》,各种形式的国际和区域环发合作深入开展,各个国家为促进可持续发展付出了巨大努力,在消除贫困和实现千年发展目标方面取得一些成绩。但是,全球在经济、环境和社会发展方面正在面临着越来越复杂的形势,全球可持续发展事业依然面临严峻的挑战。本文从经济、环境与社会三个方面,系统分析了全球可持续发展面临的挑战。分析表明:全球经济发展依然不平衡,不稳定性在加大,而且世界贫富差距明显,发达国家对发展中国家的官方援助不足;全球能源结构没有根本性改变,CO2排放不断增加,气候变化问题突出,而且一些国家生态环境问题较为严重;世界总人口数不断增加,各国就业水平难以提高,各国教育水平非常不均衡,而且欠发达国家人均医疗卫生支出水平低,居民健康状况堪忧。针对全球可持续发展面临的挑战,本文提出了相应的对策:①坚持"共同但有区别的责任"原则。可持续发展没有统一的模式,各国的发展阶段、条件和能力的不同必须予以正视;要区别发达国家和发展中国家的不同国情,要充分尊重发展中国家的发展权利;要为发展中国家向可持续发展转型提供技术、资金和能力建设方面的强有力支持。②加强各国政府在环境领域的交流与合作。不仅要重视全球性环境问题,而且更要优先考虑区域性环境问题,特别是发展中国家和最不发达国家面临的生态环境问题。③积极推动全球社会朝向均衡、普惠和共赢的方向发展。世界上所有国家都应有权以平等的身份参与全球治理过程以及不断改进和优化治理机制,而且全球治理结构应该向发展中国家倾斜;要积极消除贫困、减少不平等现象、使增长具有包容性、使生产和消费更可持续;要增强人们做出可持续选择的权利,特别是妇女、年轻人、失业者以及社会最弱势和最脆弱群体的权利等。     

流域生态系统管理研究

本文在对流域生态系统及生态系统管理的概念进行阐述的基础上 ,指出流域生态系统管理是流域开发和流域社会经济可持续发展的有效途径 ,并对流域生态系统管理中的热点问题进行了论述     

Research from global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to sustainability science based on the object-subject-process framework

Since United Nations adopted the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the next 15 years (2016–2030), sustainable development will further become a core concept and main principle to guide global and national economic and social development. According to this background, strengthening the integrative research on the theories and methodologies of sustainable development has been a strategically important mission. This article provided an analytic framework for sustainability science, named the object-subject-process (OSP) framework for examining the key issues encountered during the theoretical research and policy analysis. This study emphasized that, on the object dimension, sustainable development means to seek for economic and social development within biophysical limits of the earth and the relationship of environment, society, and economy should be containing and complementary rather than parallel and substitute; on the process dimension, sustainable development should adopt both the responsive and proactive strategies for the whole process management which employing pressure-state-response (PRS) model rather than dealing with one part of them; on the subject dimension, sustainable development research should involve the key stakeholders who are kind of collaborate governance rather than separate each other. From the perspective of sustainability science, green economy was utilized as a case study to explore the issues of object, process and subject and also the significance of green economy was discussed in this study.     

东北农牧交错生态脆弱区可持续发展研究

生态脆弱区是经济落后、人民生活较为贫困的地区．是可持续发展领域重点研究地区之一。实现生态脆弱区可持续发展管理的重要基础之一是对其发展现状进行综合测度。以我国典型生态脆弱区-东北农牧交错区为例．运用所建立的指标体系对阜新、通辽、赤峰等典型样点地区的可持续发展现状进行评估．对引致区域可持续发展现状的主要原因进行剖析；对1990年和2002年两个不同时段的可持续发展状态进行对比分析。结果表明资源与环境状况是影响区域可持续发展的关键因子．经济发展是提高可持续发展能力的根本保证．社会、人口、科技子系统对区域可持续发展具有重要作用。基于对上述问题的分析．提出东北农牧交错区可持续发展能力建设的几点对策。     

农业保险与可持续农业发展

农业保险的发展，对保障农业再生产的顺利进行，推动农业可持续的发展具有重要的理论意义和深远的现实意义。文章首先分析了可持续农业与农业保险的内在联系，指出农业保险可以为可持续农业发展保驾护航。接着分析了我国当前农业保险和可持续农业存在的主要问题，并将这些问题归结为来自行为主体，即政府、农民、商业企业三方面的原因。最后提出了发展我国农业保险，促进可持续农业发展的对策建议。     

从"两条主线论"考察中国文明进程

以可持续发展理论审视,在中国文明的发展进程中,除了存在传统史学所强调的“人与人”的关系这条主线外,还存在着“人与自然”关系的主线,本文以中国的若干重大历史事件为例证,初步论证了“人与人”和“人与自然”两条主线的相互作用关系是中国文明发展演变的主要驱动力。因此,实现人与人关系的公平和人与自然关系的和谐,是实现可持续发展的前提。     

Simulation modelling for sustainability: a review of the literature

This article is a review of work published in various journals and conference proceedings on the topics of Simulation Modelling for Sustainability between January 2000 and May 2015. A total of 192 papers are reviewed. The article intends to serve three goals. First, it will be useful to researchers who wish to know what kinds of questions have been raised and how they have been addressed in the areas of simulation modelling for sustainability. Second, the article will be a useful resource for searching research topics. Third, it will serve as a comprehensive bibliography of the papers published during the period. The literature is analysed for application areas, simulation methods and dimensions of the triple bottom line model of sustainable development.     

Sustainability indicators for clean development mechanism projects in Vietnam

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the flexible instruments of the Kyoto Protocol designed to combat climate change so as to bring advantages to developing countries and developed countries alike. Indeed, CDM projects have a two-fold objective: to offset greenhouse gas emissions and to contribute to sustainable development in the host country. However in many cases, the latter objective appears to be marginalized. This is at least partly due to the difficulties surrounding the definition and the measurement of sustainability, in particular in a developing country context. To assess CDM projects’ contribution to sustainable development in the host country, scholars and practitioners need adapted indicator sets. A set of indicators were developed by way of an iterative Delphi approach amongst selected Vietnamese experts. The Delphi approach allowed a systematic collection of the experts’ judgements on the sustainability indicators through a set of sequentially applied questionnaires, interspersed with feedback from earlier responses. This exercise resulted in the selection of a set of 36 indicators, which emphasise economic efficiency, public health and pollution issues. The exercise yielded a locally supported and context-specific set of sustainability indicators that will allow Vietnamese decision-makers to enhance the sustainability of the approved CDM projects. In the future this set should be continually improved through real-life application and further participation from local stakeholders. This study is a first step in a long-term process towards developing an adapted toolkit for sustainability assessment of CDM projects in Vietnam.     

Energy and Sustainable Development at Global Environmental Summits: An Evolving Agenda

This paper presents a framework for understanding energy issues in the context of sustainable development. It posits that there are three important ways in which energy is related to sustainable development: (a) energy as a source of environmental stress, (b) energy as a principal motor of macroeconomic growth and (c) energy as a prerequisite for meeting basic human needs. These three dimensions correspond to the three dimensions of the often-used triangle of sustainable development: environmental, economic, and social. Using this framework, the paper traces how successive environmental summits at Stockholm (1972), Rio de Janeiro (1992) and Johannesburg (2002) have dealt with energy issues. It identifies a slow, surprising and important evolution of how energy issues have been treated at these global discussions. Energy has received increasing prominence at these meetings and become more firmly rooted in the framework of sustainable development. Stockholm was primarily concerned with the environmental dimension, Rio de Janeiro focused on both the environmental and economic dimensions, and the major headway made at Johannesburg was the meaningful addition of the social dimension and the linking of energy issues to the UN's Millennium Development Goals.     

Advancing sustainability science: report on the International Conference on Sustainability Science (ICSS) 2009

As a new discipline, sustainability science poses a challenge to researchers focused on issues in sustainable development world wide. Although definitions vary, three characteristics appear to be fundamental: sustainability science is transdisciplinary, provides integrated analysis, and is aimed at action. There is clearly a need for such a science to address complex contemporary issues. Yet the question remains how to go about advancing this new integrated approach. The ICSS2009 conference was organized to address this question. This article, based on the conference report, provides a summary of the deliberations and highlights recommendations to advance this new science including creation of a global network of networks in sustainability science.     

重庆市可持续发展评价研究

随着世界范围内城市化进程不断加快,城市可持续发展问题日益成为人们关注的热点。重庆市作为一个特大的复合型城市,是长江上游的经济中心,西部开发的桥头堡,探讨其可持续发展状况对其本身乃至区域的发展具有重要意义。运用可持续发展理论构建了重庆市可持续发展指标体系,运用层次分析方法对重庆直辖后的可持续发展状况进行了动态分析和评价。通过评价结果的纵向对比分析,发现重庆市在2001年以前可持续发展保持较好;而2001年以后经济虽然保持较快发展,但环境和资源的承载能力未能和社会、经济的发展保持同步增长,可持续发展表现出不和谐。最后就重庆市的可持续发展提出了建议和措施,以期为城市管理和决策者提供参考。     

Tourism Development and Water Pollution: Case Study in Lijiang Ancient Town

Tourism development results in water pollution not only in water-scarce areas, but also in areas with relatively abundant water resources, such as Lijiang Ancient Town (LAT). In this article, LAT is described for its use of the freshwater resource, on account of its attractive landscaping. Tourism here has grown rapidly in recent years and at the same time the water quality has deteriorated sharply. Several investigations have been made, with the aim of finding out the causes and consequences of water quality deterioration because of tourism development. The results show that the present mode of water utilization is not sustainable, and some of the local residents have already complained about water quality degradation. Increasing numbers of tourists, relative service infrastructures, such as, shops, restaurants, and hotels, and in addition, insufficient management measures, result in the decline of water quality. Countermeasures on water management approaches are suggested to deal with the current water pollution, and make tourism development sustainable..     

湖南省农业生态安全与可持续发展初探

农业生态环境是农业发展的前提基础，它的健康安全是农业可持续发展的关键。湖南省是全国的农业大省，但目前农业生态环境面临着土地资源退化、水土流失加剧、农业污染严重、农业自然灾害频繁、生态环境脆弱和耕地质量下降等一系列问题，对该省农村经济的发展和农业的可持续发展，造成了严重的影响，制约了农业发展的前景与潜力。在分析这些问题的基础上，探讨其产生的机理，并提出保护和建设农业生态环境安全的对策与建议，为实现该省农业可持续发展提供参考依据。     

区域可持续发展战略规划的理论与方法研究

实施区域可持续发展战略规划是落实科学发展观的需要。结合广东省江门市可持续战略规划的实践,对可持续发展规划的概念、内涵、基本框架以及技术流程进行探讨。基本结论是：区域可持续发展战略规划应以“环境社会系统”全新的视角,回答一个区域该如何化解“三大供需矛盾”,消除“三大危机”,提高区域可持续发展能力的问题;对区域环境社会系统这类开放型复杂巨系统进行可持续发展战略决策,需采用专家经验与计算机建模相结合、反复试错、多元互动的综合集成方法。     

长江流域城市生态环境问题与跨世纪持续发展战略

综合分析评价了长江流域城市的生态环境态势与问题,城市水环境依然恶化,特别是城市内河道,湖泊水质多污染严重。城市大气污染仍是加重趋向,一些特大城市汽车尾气污染上升,城市酸雨依然严重。城市生态问题沉重,绿地不足,热岛加重,地面沉降,水土流失等。沉重的生态环境赤字已深刻影响到城市经济社会的发展。面对二十一世纪,论证了长江流域城市发展战略,走城市可持续发展之路是唯一战略选择,而建设现代化的山水园林生态城市     

西部大开发与现代集约持续农业

本文在分析西部大开发面临的机遇与挑战的基础上,阐述了我国发展现代集约持续农业的必然性,并对我国现代集约持续农业的目标、内容、重点领域及发展现代集约持续农业应注意的问题进行了探讨。