Conjoint analysis for environmental evaluation

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: Conjoint analysis and the related choice-modelling methods have been used for many years in marketing research to evaluate consumer behaviour and preferences for different kinds of product attributes. Recently, the number of applications in environmental science and management has started to grow. Conjoint analysis is found in many different forms, and the environmental studies evaluated in this review display the same range of methods as in other fields. The key characteristic of all these methods is that trade-offs are evaluated by jointly considering a number of important attributes. MAIN FEATURES: This paper is a review of the literature on environmental applications of conjoint analysis and assesses in which environmental area conjoint analysis has been most successful. The method and the design of the studies are reviewed as well. RESULTS: A total of 84 studies were found, dealing with environmental issues that were evaluated by conjoint analysis. The studies concern agriculture, ecosystem management, energy, environmental evaluation, forestry, land management, pollution, products, recreation, environmental risk analysis and waste management. DISCUSSION: Choice experiments seem to have a comparatively stronger position in environmental studies than elsewhere. Most of the environmental applications are related to natural resource management. This is somewhat surprising, but a number of reports have appeared also on product evaluation, which could be a key application area in the future. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to marketing and transportation, the number of environmental conjoint studies is rather small but increasing, and the method has proven to work effectively in eliciting preferences on environmental issues. In environmental issues, experimenters often use choice experiments, especially concerning ecosystem management and environmental evaluations. When it comes to evaluating preferences concerning agriculture, forestry, energy and products, a more traditional approach of conjoint analysis is favoured. RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSPECTIVES: Two new areas of application are identified in this review--environmental communication and expert elicitation. Conjoint analysis can thus be developed into a useful instrument for environmental risk analysis and communication, both of which are necessary for an efficient approach to risk governance.     

试论生态文明建设中的环境保护

随着经济的发展，人们越来越清醒地认识到，以污染环境和破坏生态来换取一时经济繁荣的危害日益突出。正是这种清醒，推动人类文明进行着一场深刻的反思和变革，把追求人与自然的和谐相处，推上当今社会发展主旋律的位置，它预示着人类进入一个生态文明的新时代。生态文明是协调发展物质文明的保障者，是与时俱进的精神文明的塑造者，是日益完善的政治文明的体现者。因此，建设生态文明既是实现全面建设小康社会奋斗目标的内在需要，又是深入贯彻落实科学发展观的重要内容；建设生态文明，必须强化政策支撑，增加生态文明建设的内生动力；必须强化执法监督，增加生态文明建设的环保执行力；必须强化生态补偿能力，构建最具活力的绿色发展模式。     

SUSTAINABILITY AT THE LOCAL LEVEL: MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND MUNICIPAL TAX INCENTIVE MODEL

The implementation of sustainable development may seem a simple concept when written on paper. However to carry-out long term actions put forward by the Agenda 21 (AG21) at the local level represents one of the main challenges as municipal governments in general do not have the capacity to effectively implement the process. Regional environmental assessment (REA) has shown to be effective in supporting decision-making not only to correct environmental problems due to past unsustainable social-economic developments but also help local governments to implement sustainable actions. However this requires long-term investments of AG21 plans and projects. The allocation of regular and consistent financial resources is one of the main ingredients for the sustainable development process. But traditional plans and projects financed by national and/or international funds may not be sustainable in the long-term because they become dependent on external funding. Research demonstrate that innovative economic instruments such as ecotaxes represent a feasible alternative to sponsor local sustainability because taxes are collected permanently by the government and could be invested in continuous actions. Ecotaxes experiences have provided important reference to structure a municipal incentive model (MIM) to sponsor AG21’s environmental plans and projects on a long-term (permanent) basis. However sustainable development cannot be solely through economic investments. A comprehensive municipal environmental management scheme (MEMS) has been established to support the incentive model. The scheme seeks not only to improve local institutional framework but also incentive continuous participation of local stakeholders at all levels of society. Participatory events and the provision of incentives (educational and financial) are key to motivate society to protect the environment and support actively the sustainable development process as emphasised in the RIO-92 Conference.     

乡镇工业污染防治战略初探

本文通过对乡镇工业经济发展现状及其环境问题的评价分析,提出乡镇工业环境管理应按本地自然条件、经济发展水平和乡镇企业的特点,实施分区域、按行业、有重点地进行管理的防治战略。并建议我国环境管理在以城市和大工业为重点的同时,及早将乡镇工业污染防治工作放在战略高度加以重视,切实加强乡镇工业环境管理。     

Sustainability: a Dissent

Abstract:  Broadly conceived and considered in its many usages, sustainability has grave defects as a planning goal, particularly when used by conservationists: it confuses means and ends; it is vague about what is being sustained and who or what is doing the sustaining; it is uninspiring; it is little more than Pinchot-era conservation (and thus ignores the many lessons learned since then); it need not be linked to land, to the land's functioning, or to any ecological science; it need not include a moral component; it is consistent with the view of humans as all-powerful manipulators of the planet; and, in general, it is such a malleable term that its popularity provides only a facade of consensus. When sustainability is defined broadly to include the full range of economic and social aspirations, it poses the particular risk that ecological and biodiversity concerns will be cast aside in favor of more pressing human wants. Given these many defects, the conservation movement should discard the term in favor of a more alluring goal, attentive to nature and its ecological functioning. A sound goal would incorporate and distill the considerable ecological and moral wisdom accumulated since Pinchot's day while giving conservationists the rhetorical tools needed to defend the land against competing pressures. In our view, conservation would be well served by an updated variant of "land health," Aldo Leopold's ecologically grounded goal from the 1940s. Land health as an independent understanding should set the essential terms of how we live and enjoy the earth, providing the framework within which we pursue our many social and economic aims.     

区域排污权交易模型研究

本文在分析了排污权交易研究进展的基础上，指出区域污染权交易比传统的排污权交易意义更大，并提出排污权交易地区交叉补贴的设想：将发达地区的排污权交易所得向欠发达地区转移，以解决欠发达地区产业结构调整乏力以及对发达地区的二次污染和发达地区环境容量资源短缺问题。在不考虑交易成本的假设下，通过建立不同地区排污权交易模型以确定排污权交易总量及其交易价格以及交易所获净增纯收益等。太湖流域由于经济最为发达，环境问题十分突出，是目前我国最适宜率先进行区域排污权交易试点的地区。通过假定太湖流域无锡和常州两市进行排污权交易，并利用两市1991—2000年的环境统计资料等相关资料进行了验证。计算结果表明区域排污权交易不仅具有明显的经济和环境效益，而且也是协调环境区域矛盾的重要手段。因此，不同地区间进行排污权交易在我国具有重要意义，在太湖流域等经济发达地区收效尤其明显。     

Analysis of Environmental and Socio-economic Determinants Affecting Population Longevity Level at County Level in China

INTRODUCTIONIn recent thirty years, due to the decreasing fertility andincreasing life expectancy, China's population is aging ata very rapid pace and the elderly population size is keepingon growing. During the dramatic aging progress, the oldestold group in China is catching our eyes. More and moreold people of China are becoming the oldest old. Theextremely old population (aged 80 and above) is increasingat 5.1% annually, while the old population above 65 isincreasing at 2.9%, and the…     

省以下生态转移支付制度环境保护激励效应

现有文献认为生态转移支付具有基本公共服务均等化与提升地方生态环境质量双目标,而目标的多样性会影响地方财政转移支付资金效果及目标的实现。文章基于环保支出和农林水支出的中介与调节效应,对生态转移支付的生态环境目标进行了理论分析,利用2010—2018年甘肃、贵州、湖北及河南四省的199个县的面板数据进行实证检验。实证研究表明:在样本期内,生态转移支付促进了地方生态环境质量的提升,中介效应和调节效应模型的结果表明,中国地方生态转移支付资金对辖区环境保护效果中,环境保护支出起到部分中介效应,农林水支出不仅调节了生态转移支付的地方环境保护支出效果,而且调节了环境保护支出对地方环境质量的影响。因此,由于地方政府具有环境治理信息优势,省以下制度目标更能体现辖区生态需求,省对县生态转移支付制度会有效促进地方生态环境质量的改善,环保激励效应较为明显。同时,县级地方政府应该逐步摆脱"先污染后治理"的路径依赖,逐步转向经济与环境"双目标协同发展"模式。为了协同生态转移支付的双目标,"自下而上参与式决策"可以作为环境治理的有益补充,通过地方政府多元化实践改善环境质量。     

典型西南工业城市柳州市核心区大气污染物时空分布与气象因素研究

为研究柳州市核心区大气污染物浓度时空变化规律与气象因素之间的关系,统计分析了2018年全年研究区内6个自动监测站点PM_(2.5)、PM_(10)、SO_2、NO_2、O_3和CO的浓度监测数据和气象站气象数据,并对28次超标日污染物来源进行了解析.结果显示:①核心区颗粒污染物污染较为严重,且以PM_(2.5)为主的细颗粒污染物仍为柳州市主要的大气污染物;各污染物月均浓度季节差异显著,除NO_2外柳州大气污染物浓度下降明显,指示柳州市多项节能减排综合整治措施成效显著;PM_(2.5)、PM_(10)、CO受早晚高峰期影响,浓度日变化均呈双峰型;NO_2在不同季节峰型不同,作为O_3前体物其浓度日变化与O_3相反,呈现"早峰午谷"的变化趋势.②通过对污染物浓度插值发现,由于核心区主要工商业区位于西部且处于主导风向下风向,故PM_(2.5)和SO_2浓度西北高、东南低,PM_(10)、NO_2和CO浓度西南高、东北低;核心区东部的山区为O_3生成带来大量前体物,使O_3浓度东南高、西北低.③由于气候特征,核心区春、夏季主要气象因素均为降水量;秋季的主要气象因素是风速,风速与污染物的负相关关系表明了风的扩散效应;冬季大部分污染物与气象因素的相关性不显著,表明人为因素对污染物的影响大于气象因素;核心区大气污染物主要来源于局地排放和区域传输,且南北主导风向对大气污染影响最大.④HYSPLIT模型结果指示柳州超标日大气污染物主要来自于珠三角地区,且陆源颗粒物浓度普遍比海洋源高,来自南部的远距离输送气流颗粒物含量最低,表明远距离输送为影响颗粒物传播的主要原因.     

中国集成电路制造行业VOCs排放特征及控制对策

中国电子信息产业发展迅速,集成电路等电子器件产量不断增加.在集成电路制造的过程中,大量有机溶剂的使用导致VOCs的产生和排放,从而对大气环境造成影响.为掌握集成电路制造行业VOCs的排放特征,系统分析了其工艺流程和产排污环节,分析了行业废气收集和治理现状,通过对典型企业VOCs的排放监测,获得VOCs排放水平;采用排放因子法核算行业VOCs历史排放量,并基于行业排放特征及减排潜力分析,提出了相应的污染防治对策.结果表明：在集成电路制造中,VOCs排放环节主要集中在光刻、清洗、去胶等过程,1 m²集成电路产量约使用87 g有机溶剂,VOCs产生量较大;通过采取高效的VOCs治理技术,集成电路制造行业有组织排放水平较低,平均浓度为2.1 mg·m^-3,但厂界无组织排放浓度相对较高,平均浓度为0.78 mg·m^-3,接近国家标准的排放限值.根据排放量核算结果,2011—2016年中国集成电路制造行业VOCs排放量呈逐年上升的趋势,主要受产量增加而相应污染控制技术水平提升有限的影响,无组织排放量比重大,占排放总量的38.1%~45.1%.