Sustainability Appraisal in neighbourhood planning in England

The preparation of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) inclusive sustainability appraisals (SAs) for neighbourhood plans (NPs) in England may be required when significant environmental effects are expected to arise from an NP. In this paper, we report on the result of a Ph.D. project, conducted between 2012 and 2015, in which all 15 NP SEA inclusive SAs that had been completed at the time were evaluated. In this context, the quality of SA practice was found to differ substantially. SAs were prepared either ‘in-house’ (i.e. by neighbourhood planning steering groups) or by consultants. The quality of SAs was found to be associated with their overall perceived degree of influence on the underlying NPs. Whilst the focus of this paper is on practice in England, findings are expected to be of interest to a wider international audience, in particular to those experimenting with voluntary neighbourhood/local level plan SA/SEA.     

Examining strategic sustainability plans and smart-growth land-use measures in California cities

Given many potential obstacles, what types of strategic plans and measures for climate protection and/or energy sustainability are more likely than others to be adopted by cities? What are the key internal and external obstacles to adopting and implementing these plans and measures? Based on data obtained from a survey conducted from 2010 to 2011 and other sources, this paper develops a framework derived from political contracting theory and strategic orientation literature to examine how public management obstacles, socio-economic factors, and political factors influence a city's likelihood of having strategic energy sustainability plans and measures in place. Moreover, this paper finds that many California cities remain reluctant to require residents and businesses to comply with more challenging sustainability measures, such as smart-growth land-use practices, and that those cities with a strategic energy sustainability plan already in place tend to be more willing to adopt smart-growth land-use measures.     

项目环境影响评价与战略环境影响评价比较

战略环境影响评价是更高层次的环境影响评价工作 ,它不仅是对建设项目环境评价工作的拓展、完善和提高 ,而且也是能够贯彻可持续发展原则的可操作的方法之一。在回顾影响评价的发展历程和分析其发展趋势等的基础上。从评价范围、内容、对象、方法、结论、性质及指导思想几个方面对战略环境影响评价与项目环境影响评价进行了比较     

废纸造纸行业的清洁生产措施与实践

在废纸造纸行业的发展及污染现状的基础上 ,提出实施清洁生产是废纸造纸行业治理污染 ,实现可持续发展的有效途径 ,分析总结了实现节能、降耗、减污、增效的行业清洁生产典型方案 ,并以山东省某板纸厂实施清洁生产的实践情况为例 ,论述了废纸造纸行业中存在的清洁生产机会及潜力。     

关于国家环境保护“十三五”规划的战略思考

在对我国当前环境形势以及未来重大环境保护问题识别的基础上,结合国家生态文明建设新要求,提出了"十三五"环境保护规划体系以及规划目标的设想,并从国民经济绿色化、国土空间功能化、保护环境法治化、环境供给市场化、决策监管科学化、治理主体多元化、环境信息公开化等7个方面给出了基本策略建议,可为制定国家"十三五"环境保护规划提供参考。     

基于共词分析的我国资源环境领域研究热点分析

了解我国资源环境领域的研究热点及走向,可为该领域的论文选题、科研立项和学科规划提供参考信息和决策依据。本文采用共词分析法,Excel、SPSS等软件,对CNKI数据库中的相关文献进行统计。通过分析得出高频关键词并建立共词矩阵,进一步对高频词共词矩阵进行聚类分析和战略坐标图分析,得出资源环境领域的研究热点主要集中在人口资源环境与经济可持续发展、城市化与中国资源环境/水资源环境协调发展、资源环境约束或人地关系视角下的产业结构优化和城镇化发展、资源环境承载力评价指标体系与问题对策、经济增长与生态足迹关系、生态文明视角下的资源环境保护与管理等几大主题上。其中,前两个主题处于整个领域的核心地位,得到较深入的研究,后四个主题研究不够深入,仍有许多值得研究的地方。     

The principal–agent model with multilateral externalities: An application to climate agreements

We consider contracting of a principal with an agent if multilateral externalities are present. The motivating example is that of an international climate agreement given private information about the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for emissions abatement. Due to multilateral externalities the principal uses her own emissions besides subsidies to incentivize the agent and to assure his participation. Optimal contracts equalize marginal abatement costs and, thus, can be implemented by a system of competitive permit trading. Moreover, optimal contracts can include a boundary part (i.e., the endogenous, type dependent participation constraint is binding), which is not a copy of the outside option of no contract. Compared to this outside option, a contract can increase emissions of the principal for types with a low WTP, and reduce her payoff for high types. Subsidies can be constant or even decreasing in emission reductions, and turn negative so that the agent reduces emissions and pays the principal.     

创建环境保护总体规划在大连社会经济发展中的战略地位及实施思路

以建设资源节约型、环境友好型社会和生态宜居城市为总体目标,以全面贯彻落实科学发展观,促进经济增长方式转变和优化城市布局为主线,以建立良好的生态环境为核心,坚持环境保护与经济增长并重、与经济发展同步,全力推进生态文明建设,构建持续协调发展的生态经济体系、自然宜居的生态环境体系、责权明晰的生态环境执法和保障体系,建立了《大连市环境保护总体规划(2008—2020)》. 该规划的指标体系是以《生态市建设指标》、《大连市城市总体规划》和《大连市生态环境保护“十一五”规划》中的相关指标为基础,通过污染物排放量预测、环境容量分析、资源承载力分析,比较分析了发达国家主要城市的环境质量目标,综合考虑了环境质量标准而设定. 采用数值模拟,系统分析,动态分析,生态足迹,虚拟水计算,决策分析,SWOT分析和3S等技术方法,在大气与海域环境容量、生态功能分区、环境发展战略、生态承载力等方面大量理论研究的基础上,提出了包括大气环境规划、水环境规划、声环境规划、固体废物处置规划、核与辐射污染控制规划、工业布局与结构调整规划、自然生态系统规划、农村环境保护规划、环境风险防范以及环境管理能力建设规划等10个方面的规划. 《规划》通过全域谋划、统筹规划,有步骤、分阶段地解决制约经济发展和群众关注的环境问题,有效协调生态保护区和经济开发区的关系,最终实现“社会-经济-资源-环境”的可持续发展.      

Bioactivity as an Options Value of Sea Cucumbers in the Egyptian Red Sea

Abstract:  The utility of a species can be divided into its direct, indirect, and options values. In the marine environment, direct consumptive values predominate and often lead to overexploitation at the expense of significant options values derived through bioprospecting for natural products. We surveyed the waters of the Egyptian Red Sea coast (Gulf of Aqaba [north] and the Red Sea [south]) for species of sea cucumbers and analyzed extracts from species for a range of bioactivities with potential biomedical applications. All habitat types were surveyed within these regions. We found 22 species of sea cucumber of which two, Holothuria fuscogilva and Holothuria flavomaculata , were recorded in Egypt for the first time. Although none of the species identified were unique to the Gulf of Aqaba, 10 species were only found in the Red Sea sector. Bioassay results showed that although no species had antibacterial activity, most extracts exhibited activity against Candida and Leishmania but were most active against a LoVo mammalian carcinoma cell line. Our most significant finding was the intraspecific variation in bioactivity in individuals collected from different habitat types and sectors of the coast. This variation may reflect the effect of environment on secondary metabolite production or may indicate significant genetic diversity between populations within a species. Our results indicate a potentially significant options value to sea cucumbers through bioprospecting. Given the importance of economic development in countries such as Egypt and the perceived low conservation value of invertebrates such as sea cucumbers, the linking of these factors to conservation is vital for the maintenance and sustainable exploitation of these animals .     

Strategic Framing of Climate Change by Industry Actors: A Meta-analysis

This study uses framing theory to analyze 38 studies on industry actors' climate change communication between 1990 and 2010. It identifies three consecutive phases, each characterized by one dominant master frame: in the early and mid-1990s the US fossil fuel and coal industry pushed the frame of scientific uncertainty. With the rundown to the Kyoto negotiations in 1997, the strategy shifted toward the socioeconomic consequences of mandatory emission reductions, particularly in the USA and Australia. At the same time, European industry actors started to promote industrial leadership in a climate protection, which today dominates across all the world regions. The study discusses potential triggers for the regional differences as well as the implications for further research.