The victims of unsustainability: a challenge to sustainable development goals

Environmental unsustainability is due to both structural features and historically specific characteristics of industrial capitalism resulting in specific patterns of production and consumption, as well as population growth. Sustainability literature criticises the established corporate and political power hegemonies, interested in maintaining economic growth, as well as inability or unwillingness of citizen-consumers to counteract these hegemonic tendencies. Yet, official policies are still targeted at social and economic ‘development’ as a panacea for unsustainability challenges. Instead, renewed accent on social and economic objectives are outlined by a set of sustainable development goals (SDG) that include objectives of fighting poverty, promoting better health, reducing mortality, and stimulating equitable economic growth. What is less commonly critiqued is the underlying morality of unsustainability and ethical questions concerned with the ‘victims of unsustainability’ outside of socioeconomic discourse. The achievement of SDG goals, as will be further elaborated on in this article, is unlikely to lead to greater social equality and economic prosperity, but to a greater spread of unsustainable production and consumption, continuous economic as well as population growth that has caused environmental problems in the first place and further objectification of environment and its elements. This article argues that an invocation of ethical duty toward environment and its elements is required in order to move beyond the current status quo. Such ethical approach to unsustainability can effectively address the shortcomings of the mainstream sustainability discourse that is mainly anthropocentric and therefore fails to identify the correct locus of unsustainability.     

Approaches and terminology for causal analysis in land systems science

Research into land and social-ecological systems science could benefit from improved clarity in the terminology used for causal analysis and a structured way to make causal inferences. Here I identify two aspects of causality, i.e. causal effects and causal mechanisms, and discuss explanation in historical sciences. I then propose definitions for the major terms used for causal relations, including driver, (spatial) determinant, location and contextual factor, proximate and underlying factors. Finally, I discuss the contribution of various operational approaches, including time series and counterfactual approaches for assessing causal effects and process-tracing approaches for establishing causal mechanisms. Having a coherent concept of causality, agreeing on a precise vocabulary and harnessing our tools with the clear purpose of establishing both causal effects and causal mechanisms should strengthen causal explanations for single cases, for drawing policy-relevant lessons and for theoretical development in relation to land and, more broadly, social-ecological systems processes.     

西安市大气颗粒物数浓度分布及典型天气条件特征变化

利用2013年3月到2014年12月期间西安市大气中0.25～32μm颗粒物监测数据和同期气象参数、散射消光系数等数据,分析了大气颗粒物数浓度分布及典型天气条件下变化特征.结果表明:采样期间西安市大气颗粒物平均数浓度为206.27个/cm3, 99%以上为<1μm的颗粒物数.大气颗粒物数浓度冬季最高,其次为秋、夏和春季,分别为267.66、231.31、141.82和135.77个/cm3.四季的数浓度低值均出现在18:00左右,之后数浓度上升,且晚上高于白天,冬季6:00左右达到峰值,夏季的昼夜差最小,秋季最大.春夏秋冬的大气颗粒物数浓度与散射消光系数的Pearson相关系数分别为0.756、0.702、0.411、0.377.大气颗粒物数浓度在沙尘天气发生前、中、后会升高、下降和再下降,霾天气出现前、后会升高和下降;高温干燥天气下,大气颗粒物数浓度相对较低;降雨对大气颗粒物的清除作用明显,但降雨后大气颗粒物数浓度又很快回升.     

2014年10月中国东部持续重污染天气成因分析

2014年10月5─13日中国东部发生了大范围、长时间的(雾)霾及重污染天气. 采用AQI数据分析此次大气重污染过程的时、空演变特征,并应用NCEP(美国国家环境预报中心)再分析资料以及地面、小球探空数据,分析了主要天气型演变、边界层及上空的风场、气象条件特征,以研究此次秋季重污染天气的气象成因和形成过程. 结果表明:①华北、东北是此次污染最为严重的地区,其域内各城市持续数日的污染演变可分为AQI显著上升、持续高值、下降3个阶段. ②在AQI上升阶段(10月6—8日),受大陆高压控制,东部地区出现较弱地方风场和偏南风输送风场,风速在0～2 m/s,相对湿度在22%～86%,3 000 m逆温显著利于污染物积累. ③在持续污染阶段(10月8—11日),海上高压滞留,再加上台风“凤凰”北上阻挡大陆高压影响,使东部地区出现持续4 d的偏南风、偏东风弱风场,风速在1～4 m/s,相对湿度为57%～96%,造成严重污染. ④在AQI下降阶段(10月11—12日),后续大陆高压南下,前部冷锋利于污染物清除,风速达到6 m/s,是AQI降低的主要天气背景场. 因此,持续出现的稳定天气形势是导致此次中国东部重污染天气的主要气象原因.      

土地资源空间异质性与经济发展水平的关系研究——以武汉城市圈为例

从土地资源属性出发,采用主成分分析法综合测度武汉城市圈土地资源空间异质性,利用Tobit 模型对土地资源空间异质性与经济发展水平的关系进行分析。研究表明:城市圈土地资源空间异质性是土地质量、结构、数量和禀赋等特征异质的综合反映,其中土地质量和结构异质是主因;城市圈土地资源空间异质性指数区间为[0.015, 0.737],可分为高异质区、中高异质区、一般异质区、中低异质区、低异质区5 个梯度区;城市圈土地资源空间异质性呈现出“中心高、边缘低”的分布特征,各异质梯度区内研究单元数量和面积差异明显;城市化水平和人均GDP对土地资源空间异质性具有显著的正向影响,第三产业比重具有显著的负向影响,提高第三产业比重能够降低城市圈土地资源异质性。     

治霾背景下浅层地温能产业规模化发展研究

为了实现治霾目标,国家大力推广可再生能源应用,《关于促进地热能开发利用的指导意见》(国能新能[2013]48号),明确提出将积极推广浅层地温能,扩大其在城镇建筑用能中的比例。我国浅层地温能产业发展面临一系列障碍,为了克服市场调节失灵问题,借助事物发展动力原则,结合全寿命周期理论,依托层次分析法,推导能源发展的核心影响因素,据此提出了浅层地温能产业规模化发展的关键路径,构建了浅层地温能开发利用的长效管理体系。     

氧化/膜过滤工艺处理屠宰废水研究

研究了二氧化氯(Cl O2)氧化/陶瓷超滤膜过滤工艺对屠宰废水的处理效果,对比不同Cl O2投加量、反冲条件(反冲周期、反冲时间等)对产水指标的影响,确定适宜参数。结果表明:其他条件相同,Cl O2投加量140 mg/L时,氧化单元COD去除率较高;反冲周期50 min、反冲时间50 s时渗透通量恢复较好,陶瓷膜装置运行效果最优,COD和浊度的总去除率分别达93.6%、95.8%,产水水质可达标排放,且运行总成本较低,有较好的工业推广前景。     

沈阳市经济发展演变与碳排放效应研究

正确认识城市碳排放状况,研究确保城市经济快速发展的碳减排有效措施,对促进城市经济的可持续发展、制定各种环境经济政策、确保环境社会协调发展起到至关重要的作用。论文基于热红外遥感、GIS 和大气扩散模型技术,提高了城市碳排放空间分布的模拟精度。在此基础上,分别采用环境库兹涅茨曲线（EKC）、迪氏对数指标分解法（LMDI）和系统动力学（SD）模型,分析城市经济发展与碳排放之间的耦合关系和演变态势,通过碳排放分解分析研究影响碳排放浓度变化的因素,以及城市三次产业对碳排放的生产效应、结构效应和强度效应,模拟自然发展模式和调控发展模式两种情景下城市经济发展与碳排放的发展演变趋势。研究结果表明：1989—2008 年期间沈阳市碳排放与人均GDP拟合曲线符合N型特征,沈阳市的年均碳排放已经跨过了转折点。经济增长是导致沈阳碳排放增长的主要因素。1999—2010 年沈阳市第二产业碳排放的生产效应最大,三次产业的强度效应对城市碳排放都有抑制作用。2013—2020 年调控发展模式下的城市碳排放呈下降趋势。调控管理在保证经济稳步增长的同时将有利于沈阳市碳排放的有效抑制。     

The feasibility of concentrated rural settlement in a context of post‐disaster reconstruction: a study of China

There is growing appreciation of the use of concentrated rural settlement as an effective means of implementing infrastructure projects and helping to achieve sustainable development in rural areas. This occurs in China through the exchange of rural residential land for urban construction. However, this policy has not been effective under normal circumstances (called development‐driven conditions) as frequently farmers are reluctant to accept such an exchange. By contrast, in a time of disaster, such as after the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, rural victims have accepted this policy of rural residential land exchange. Employing game theory, this paper identifies the reasons for the different outcomes and it contends that the implementation of concentrated rural settlement practice under disaster‐induced conditions is more effective than its introduction under development‐driven conditions. The results of the analysis indicate that, in China, concentrated rural settlement is feasible in a context of post‐disaster reconstruction.     

Sustainable development in the BRICS countries: an efficiency analysis by data envelopment

There is much concern about the social and environmental impacts caused by the economic growth of nations. Thus, to evaluate the socio-economic performance of nations, economists have increasingly addressed matters related to social welfare and the environment. It is within the scope of this context that this work discusses the performance of countries in the BRICS group regarding sustainable development. The objective of this study regards evaluating the efficiency of these countries in transforming productive resources and technological innovation into sustainable development. The proposed objective was achieved by using econometric tools as well as the data envelopment analysis method to then create economic, environmental, and social efficiency rankings for the BRICS countries, which enabled to carry out comparative analyses on the sustainable development of those countries. The results of such assessments can be of interest for more specific scientific explorations.