Rehabilitation of degraded community lands for sustainable development in Himalaya: a case study in Garhwal Himalaya,India

SUMMARY

An approach to the rehabilitation of degraded community lands built on people's perceptions and traditional knowledge was developed, implemented on a small scale (6 ha plot), and evaluated in terms of economic and ecological costs and benefits over a period of 5 years in a mid-altitude (1200 m) village of Garhwal Himalaya. Rehabilitation comprised establishment of water harvesting tanks, organic management of soil, agroforestry (native multipurpose trees t traditional crops), and decision making by the whole village community. Costs and benefits under irrigated and unirrigated conditions were compared. The total cost of establishing the irrigated agroforestry system was 1.23 fold that of the unirrigated one, whereas the total benefit was 2.09 fold. The average standing above-ground biomass of the 4-year-old plantation in the irrigated agroforestry system was 11.69 t/ha compared to 8.34 t/ha in the unirrigated system. Improvement in soil properties was more pronounced in the irrigated system than in the unirrigated one. Nutrient input, an input derived largely from forest biomass, in the unirrigated system was nearly 3 times higher than that in the irrigated system. It is concluded that, considering the local and national/regional/global interests in an integrated manner, agroforestry incorporating water management would be a more effective option for rehabilitating degraded community lands than the afforestation currently being attempted by the government in the mid-altitudes of Indian Himalaya.     

Incorporating health outcomes into environmental justice research: The case of children's asthma and air pollution in Phoenix,Arizona

Asthma is a health condition that is also an environmental justice issue. Using an environmental justice frame, this paper explores socio-demographic, indoor hazard, and air quality factors that contribute to disparities in asthma hospitalizations. Multivariate Poisson regression models predicting asthma hospitalizations at the zip code level are employed to examine the case of metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona (AZ). Controlling for socio-demographics, indoor hazards, and toxic releases from industry, ozone was the strongest predictor of asthma hospitalizations. This paper contributes to the project of inserting health measures into quantitative environmental justice studies.     

基于积尘负荷的西安市铺装道路扬尘排放研究

近年来城市颗粒物污染问题日渐突出,严重影响着人们的环境幸福指数和对美好环境的期待.道路扬尘作为城市扬尘的重要组成部分,对颗粒物污染的贡献不容小觑.在此背景下,采用积尘负荷法采集西安市快速路、主干道、次干道、支路等4种类型25条道路的道路扬尘样品,并分析采样速率、采样次数等因素对采样效率的影响.在此基础上,计算得到西安市各类型道路的平均积尘负荷,结合车流量、车重、道路长度,通过《扬尘源颗粒物排放清单技术指南》中的公式计算得到各种类型道路TSP、PM₁₀、PM_2.5的排放系数及排放量.结果显示：采样速率为1.0 m²·min^-1,采样次数为两次可满足采样要求.不同类型道路积尘顺序为：支路（4.18 g·m^-2）>次干道（2.80 g·m^-2）>快速路（1.49 g·m^-2）>主干路（1.34 g·m^-2）;道路积尘TSP、PM₁₀、PM_2.5的平均排放系数分别为6.066、1.542和0.447 g·km^-1.快速路和主干路的扬尘排放系数较小,支路的扬尘排放系数次之,次干路的扬尘排放系数较大.采用Monte Carlo方法对TSP、PM₁₀和PM_2.5的排放量进行不确定性分析,在95%的概率分布范围下,三者定量不确定性均为-16.88%~17.96%.     

邻苯二甲酸二丁酯影响阿尔茨海默病大鼠学习记忆能力的分子机制研究

为探究邻苯二甲酸二丁酯（DBP）影响阿尔茨海默病（AD）大鼠学习记忆能力的分子机制,将56只SPF级5~6周龄雌性Wistar大鼠随机平均分为7组：阴性对照组、0.25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 DBP组、2.5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 DBP组、25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 DBP组、250 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 DBP组、AD模型组和AD+25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 DBP组.连续灌胃处理28 d,观察Morris水迷宫结果,检测脑海马组织中活性氧（ROS）、还原型谷胱甘肽（GSH）、丙二醛（MDA）、8-羟基脱氧鸟苷（8-OHdG）的含量;采用实时荧光定量PCR （qPCR）检测Bcl-2、Bax和Caspase-3 mRNA的转录水平;通过免疫印迹试验（Western blot）检测Bcl-2、Bax和Caspase-3的蛋白表达水平.结果表明,与阴性对照组相比,不同染毒组、DBP组大鼠的学习记忆能力下降,氧化应激水平上升,且随DBP染毒浓度升高而加剧（p<0.05,p<0.01）;AD+25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 DBP组较AD模型组大鼠的学习记忆能力损伤加剧,氧化应激水平和Bcl-2/Bax/Caspase-3信号通路上调,差异具有统计学意义（p<0.05）.由此推测,DBP可通过氧化应激作用,上调Bcl-2/Bax/Caspase-3信号通路,加剧AD大鼠海马组织的损伤,导致学习记忆能力下降.本文通过DBP影响AD大鼠学习记忆能力的分子机制研究,揭示了氧化应激对凋亡信号通路的作用,并为进一步研究DBP的毒性提供了理论和数据依据.     

马鞍山市住宅冬季能耗调查

对马鞍山市60户住宅冬季能耗进行了问卷调查,分析了住宅建筑、采暖设备等的内容与特点,统计了冬季电、天然气和水的消耗,得出马鞍山市住宅冬季能耗相关指标;并比较了马鞍山市与长沙、上海等城市住宅的能耗调查结果,比较结果表明：虽然马鞍山市冬季平均能耗比同气候地区的大城市低,但采暖电耗并不比大城市低。     

Landlords,fear, and children's respiratory health: an untold story of environmental injustice in the central city

Recent research has explored the role of environmental inequalities in explaining health disparities, especially in urban environments. This paper investigates the role of the landlord in shaping indoor environmental injustices. Specifically, we rely on interview data from low-income parents in South Phoenix, AZ, with elementary-aged children with asthma. We found families living in poor quality rental housing that impacted children's breathing. Landlords were directly involved in keeping the homes in poor condition, even when asked by the tenant to fix the property, and immigrants were especially at risk. In general, relationships between landlords and tenants were unequal and coloured by the tenant's poverty and fears of eviction. Among the immigrant tenants, many had accompanying fears of authorities and deportation. The cycle of fear, poverty, and a lack of power compounded as tenants were hesitant to report problems, which reinforced the power of the landlord over the tenant and did nothing to improve living conditions. Recognising the role of landlords in creating substandard housing conditions is important as they represent a group that can be targeted for interventions.     

Reflections on network governance in Africa's forestry sector

International forestry governance is an integral part of the global policy debates on how to prevent deforestation, illicit extraction, and unsustainable timber practices. Africa is an important producer of timber, yet the region is beset by a lack of capacity and other governance challenges in the management of its forestry sector. We employ a network governance analysis to examine the extent to which the evolution and operation of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and la Commission des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale (COMIFAC) have addressed governance challenges. We assess the strengths and weaknesses of these two leading examples of international forestry governance by introducing recent evidence and insights from Africa. We conclude with a policy‐relevant discussion of how the FSC and COMIFAC might enhance authority, legitimacy, and effectiveness and improve forestry governance in Africa and other parts of the world.     

酚降解菌株的分离、鉴定和在含酚废水生物处理中的应用

从石油化工厂的活性污泥和废水混合物中分离到10个降解酚的细菌菌株,经16S rRNA基因序列分析,5个菌株(PD1、PD2、PD6、PD7和PD39)被鉴定为假单胞菌(Pseudomonas sp.),4个菌株(PD4、PD5、PD8和PD9)为不动杆菌(Acinetobacter sp.),1个菌株(PD3)为丛毛单胞菌(Comamonas sp.).对假单胞菌(Pseudomonas sp.)PD39菌株的酚降解特性、最适生长条件、降解底物的范围、儿茶酚1,2-双加氧酶(C12O)和儿茶酚2,3-双加氧酶(C23O)活性、含酚废水的生物处理等,进行了详细研究.结果表明,PD39菌株的最适生长和降解条件是,培养基的起始pH为7.0,培养温度为30℃,酚浓度为800 mg/L,对酚的最大降解浓度为1 200 mg/L.酚浓度为637 mg/L的工业废水经72 h处理酚的去除率达到99.96%.PD39菌株有很好的应用潜力来作含酚废水活性污泥处理系统的强化菌株.     

The Clean Development Mechanism and Sustainable Development in China's Electricity Sector

Abstract

The Clean Development Mechanism, a flexibility mechanism contained in the Kyoto Protocol, offers China an important tool to attract investment in clean energy technology and processes into its electricity sector. The Chinese electricity sector places centrally in the country's economy and environment, being a significant contributor to the acid rain and air pollution problems that plague many of China's cities and regions, and therefore a focus of many related energy and environmental policies. China's electricity sector has also been the subject of a number of economic analyses that have showed that it contains the highest potential for clean energy investment through the Clean Development Mechanism of any economic sector in China. This mechanism, through the active participation from investors in more industrialized countries, can help alleviate the environmental problems attributable to electricity generation in China through advancing such technology as wind electricity generation, clean coal technology, high efficient natural gas electricity generation, or utilization of coal mine methane. In this context, the Clean Development Mechanism also compliments a range of environmental and energy policies which are strategizing to encourage the sustainable development of China's economy.     

Prospering Revolution of Resource Efficiency in Northeast Industrial Area in China

Abstract

Despite its strong advantages in resource, technology and human resource, China's Northeast Industrial Area is also experiencing problems of unreasonable industrial structure, environmental pollution, and the degradation of ecological condition, etc., which prevent this area from achieving a sustainable development. Through analyzing the resource problem, the present paper proposed a strategy of circular economy for the prosperity of this are, discussed the theories of circular economy and resource recycling, and finally concluded that improving resource productivity is at the core of circular economy.