FARMERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD NONPOINT POLLUTION CONTROL AND PARTICIPATION IN COST-SHARE PROGRAMS1

The success of government programs to control nonpoint source pollution depends upon attitudes toward those programs and the availability of technical and financial assistance. Applicants for the Rural Clean Water Program cost-share funding in Virginia possess different personal and operational characteristics than do nonapplicants. Factors associated with participation in the Rural Clean Water Program differed from those associated with the more traditional soil conservation programs. Discriminant analysis was used to differentiate between other farmers who may become applicants and nonapplicants. Farmers' attitudes toward various policy options for inducing implementation of nonpoint source management practices varied greatly. Farmers were most favorable to cost sharing, low-interest loans and tax credits, and least favorable to a soil loss tax. They were either very favorably or very unfavorably inclined toward cross-compliance between pollution control and other agricultural programs.     

Efficient management of eutrophic coastal zones in theory and practice: an application on nitrogen reduction to the Stockholm archipelago

This study estimates efficient nitrogen load reductions to the Stockholm archipelago, a Swedish coastal zone in the Baltic Sea, and compares these with politically determined and implemented nitrogen abatement programs. The region is relatively well equipped with necessary data, and a simple programming model is constructed. The results show a large divergence in efficient nitrogen reductions, mainly due to the divergences in benefit estimates from water quality improvements in the archipelago. However, the results need to be interpreted with caution due to all uncertainties related to predicting net values from changes in nitrogen load to a coastal zone. In spite of this, it is still of policy relevance to infer results which show that the politically determined target coincides with an efficient nitrogen reduction at relatively low benefit estimate, but that actual net benefits could be increased from a reallocation of abatement measures towards more low cost measures.     

福州市城市生活垃圾管理体制与政策措施探讨

城市生活垃圾这个与城市“相伴生”的长期污染源,必须得到及时、科学、妥善的处理。福州市目前对城市生活垃圾的治理存在“重末端处理、轻源头控制”,在垃圾末端无害化上陷于被动,却缺少“清洁生产”的理念,“减量化、资源化”未得到应有的重视。本文针对福州市垃圾管理体制与政策上的弊端,强调垃圾的产生、收集、运输、处理等全过程实现全面的、综合的、封闭式管理,探讨法律、经济、管理三位一体的城市生活垃圾管理政策,保障城市可持续发展。     

应对挑战的中国环境政策

中国的发展正处在机遇和挑战并存的时代．要在发展中实现人与自然的和谐．必须要以科学的环境政策作为保障。该文探讨了环境工作面临的巨大挑战和需要研究的问题．并对应对挑战的中国环境政策进行了总结。     

China''''s CDM Policies and Their Development Implications:Major Concerns for CDM Implementation

Most CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) opportunities exist in some large industrializing developing countries. For instance, China is estimated to take 48% of the world potential for CDM project activities. In reality, however, the share by China over the CDM projects registered and CDM projects in the pipeline is less than 10% as of Auguest 2005. This paper will examine the reasons behind, as reflected in China's CDM policies. Further investigation will be made into the use of these policies to boost the country's sustainable development, the sustainable development implications and effects of these policies. In addition, it is noted that incompatibility of some other Chinese laws and policies can be responsible for the low level and slow pace of CDM implementation in China and some suggestions are offered for promoting CDM project activities in China. There also exist barriers at the international level that impedes implementation of CDM project activities. A conclusion is drawn that CDM policies in a developing country like China aim mainly at promotion of sustainable development and to a lesser extent the generation of CERs.     

高海拔地区生态可持续发展策略刍论

通过生物多样性调查及参照国内外对该区域的研究资料基础上,充分认识了高海拔地区基本特点及其重要性,系统阐述了目前高海拔地区在生态可持续发展过程中所面临的问题及限制因素,提出全面开展生物多样性调查,确立生态保护优先区,建立保护区网络,加强区域物质、科技、人才等基础建设,建立健全生态保护投入机制,加强立法与监管,实行合理的生态移民政策等区域生态可持续发展策略,为当前和今后我国高海拔地区的区域开发及进一步开展生态领域研究提供参考。     

Proposal of Indicators to Assess Urban Sustainability in Brazil

The research related here focuses on municipal situations where problems of sustainability may be defined and tackled on the basis of bottom-up management procedures with the participation of organized society. The aim is to build management models that may be implemented with reasonable administrative effort and cost. Implementation pursues the target of approaching a sustainable situation in the municipality. Environmental parameters for an ideal municipality with undefined geographical location are presented. For each parameter, a set of indicators is developed that can measure the prospect of sustainability. The indicators are defined in terms of numbers or literal concepts according to the possibility of measurement. Examples of management models are presented, which are able to approach the situation defined as sustainable by the indicators. The basic management tool is the learning curve of targeted communities, which is experimentally developed and applied. The indicators are grouped according to their range of applicability.     

由参加"生态管理高级培训班"看中意环保合作项目的影响

在意大利举办的生态管理学习班,通过意大利专家学者的授课,使我在该领域的知识有所提高.这次学习的宗旨,是要把欧洲比较发达的意大利的环境保护领域的先进经验,尤其是生态管理方面的经验向中国环保工作者作介绍,希望在进一 步缩小中国环境保护领域与发达国家差距方面做出贡献.     

Advisory Committee: A Powerful Tool for Helping Decision Makers in Environmental Issues

/ It has been suggested that the general public should be moreinvolved in environmental policy and decision making. It is important forthem to realize that they will have to live with the consequences ofenvironmental policies and decisions. Consequently, policy makers shouldconsider the concerns and opinions of the general public before makingdecisions on environmental issues. This raises questions such as: How can weintegrate the perceptions and reactions of the general population inenvironmental decisions? What kind of public participation should weconsider? In the present study, using a new regional ecosystem model, weattempted to integrate these aspects in its decision making model byincluding the formation of an advisory committee to resolve problems relatedto waste management. The advisory committee requested the activeparticipation of representatives from all levels of the community: economic,municipal, and governmental intervenors; environmental groups; and citizens.Their mandates were to examine different management strategies available inthe region, considering all the interdisciplinary aspects of each strategy,elaborate recommendations concerning the management strategies that are mostsuitable for all, and collaborate in communication of the information to thegeneral population. The results showed that at least in small municipalitiessuch an advisory committee can be a powerful tool in environmental decisionmaking. Conditions required for a successful consultation process, such aseveryday lay language and the presence of a facilitator other than ascientific expert, are discussed.KEY WORDS: Public consultation; Environmental policies;Interdisciplinary aspects; Municipal sewage sludge management; Generalpopulation; Decision-making process     

Public perception of air pollution sources across Europe

Air pollution is one of the primary concerns of our society for its effect on human health and the environment. Among the policy measures that can be put in place to limit air pollutant emissions, end-of-pipe technologies and/or regulatory instruments may be implemented through legislative acts. Also, equally important are behavioural measures, requiring citizens’ active involvement. The success of any measure to limit pollutant emissions requires the acceptance by the citizens that, in turn, implies a correct perception of the main pollutant emission drivers. We present here the comparison between the public perception of air pollution sources and the real-world situation through a survey carried out in seven European countries and involving 16 101 respondents. Our study shows a dramatic underestimation of the contribution of the agri-food sector to air pollution. This result is common to all respondents in the seven countries examined and only to a small extent depends on gender, age and socio-economic status of the respondents.