An Assessment of the Valuation Methods Used to Calculate the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), and Sustainable Net Benefit Index (SNBI)

For some time now, ecological economists have been putting forward a ‘threshold hypothesis’ – the notion that when macroeconomic systems expand beyond a certain size, the additional cost of growth exceeds the flow of additional benefits. In order to support their belief, ecological economists have developed a number of similar indexes to measure and compare the benefits and costs of growth (e.g., the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare and the Genuine Progress Indicator). In virtually every instance where an index of this type has been calculated for a particular country, the movement of the index appears to reinforce the existence of the threshold hypothesis. Of late, a number of observers have expressed concerns about whether these alternative indexes reflect concrete reality or the prejudices of ecological economists. In view of these concerns, this paper closely examines the valuation methods used in the calculation the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare, the Genuine Progress Indicator, and the Sustainable Net Benefit Index. It is argued that a consistent and more robust set of valuation techniques is required in order for these alternative indexes to gain broad acceptability.*Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

循环经济发展指标体系研究及实证评价

以“3R”原则为指导和出发点,构建了自上而下的树型指标体系(包含目标层-控制层-指标层三层指标体系)。并形成了理论指标体系和操作指标体系,分别面向推广应用的理论研究和规划管理。据此,运用灰色关联度分析方法,对南通市循环经济规划进行预评价。分析发现：随着循环经济建设的不断推进。南通市循环经济发展水平将不断提升,但是其提升与发展表现出明显的阶段性特征,具体是：2002—2007年是对传统经济发展方式的延续与改造,因而仍处于相对粗放型的经济发展状态。循环经济建设的重点是污染减量排放和资源减量化;2008—2010年是粗放经济向集约经济转轨的阶段,此阶段更加注重生态环境保护以及污染减排和治理;2011-2020年进入了循环经济发展的初级阶段,资源集约型和节约型的循环经济初具规模。     

Frog, Bat, and Dung Beetle Diversity in the Cloud Forest and Coffee Agroecosystems of Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract:  We compared the species diversity of copronecrophagous beetles (Scarabaeinae) , bats, and frogs in tropical montane cloud forest (original vegetation) and shaded coffee plantations (an agroecosystem common to the region) for a landscape in central Veracruz, Mexico. We sampled in three tropical montane cloud forest fragments and in three coffee plantations with traditional polyculture shade between 1998 and 2001. The three indicator groups responded differently to the transformation of tropical montane cloud forest into shaded coffee plantations. The species richness of frogs was one-fifth less in coffee plantations than in forest fragments, and only one-third of the frog species occurred in both forest fragments and coffee plantations. The number of beetle species and their abundance was significantly greater in coffee plantations than in the forest fragments, whereas species richness and species composition of bats were virtually the same in both habitats. The majority of the abundant species remained as such in both communities, but species that were less abundant were not scarce in both habitats. We attributed differences in the species assemblages to the differing degrees of penetrability of the borders of the two habitat types (especially for the coffee plantations) and to the differences in life-history traits among species. Shaded coffee plantations form a matrix that envelops the remaining fragments of cloud forest. Together they connect the forest fragments with the other habitats of the landscape and represent a highly functional resource for the preservation of biodiversity that serves as a complement to but not a substitute for cloud forest in this notably modified landscape.     

太湖不同湖区生态系统健康评价方法研究

基于长期的监测资料，计算了表征湖泊生态系统健康的系统能（Ex）、系统能结构（Exs1）和生态缓冲容量（｜β｜）指标，以及湖泊营养状态指数（Its）。结果表明，太湖不同湖区生态系统健康状况差异明显，1998-2001年太湖典型湖区健康状况由好到差的相对顺序为：东太湖、贡湖和湖心区、梅梁湾、五里湖。在此基础上，提出了富营养化浅水湖泊生态系统健康指标阈值和湖泊系统能量健康指数（IEx）及其健康状况分级。经2002、2003年太湖不同湖区实测检验表明，所提出的湖泊系统能量健康指数及其健康状况分级适用于评价太湖不同湖区生态系统健康的区域分异状况。     

城市人居环境评价体系的研究及应用

在国内外人居环境理论研究及实践的基础上,提出了由系统层、子系统层和指标层构成的城市人居环境评价指标体系,其中系统层由社会经济环境、自然生态环境、公共设施建设、环境资源保护和环境管理能力五部分组成,子系统层由16个指标组成,指标层由43个具体指标组成。利用统计分析法(Delphi)确定各指标的权值。同时,针对本指标体系结构提出了单项评价和综合评价相结合的评价模式,并设置了城市人居环境质量指数和系统协调度两个综合性指标来全面评价城市人居环境质量。通过对重庆市渝北城区的综合评价,评价结果较客观地反映了该城区的实际。     

对建立我国可持续发展指标的一点思考

传统的发展指标体系（如ＧＮＰ）存在着忽视环境的问题，导致经济与环境不能协调发展，因此建立一个能评价与测度可持续发展的指标体系显得尤为重要。本文探讨了建立可持续发展指标体系的几种方法，并分析了各个方法的优点与缺点。针对我国实际，我们认为建立可持续发展指标体系是一个多层次动态规划过程，应基于在关键自然实物量核算的基础上，从物理性指标向货币性指标过渡，将无量纲方法与有量纲方法结合运用。     

Contamination of nonylphenolic compounds in creek water, wastewater treatment plant effluents, and sediments from Lake Shihwa and vicinity, Korea: comparison with fecal pollution

Nonylphenolic compounds (NPs), coprostanol (COP), and cholestanol, major contaminants in industrial and domestic wastewaters, were analyzed in creek water, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and sediment samples from artificial Lake Shihwa and its vicinity, one of the most industrialized regions in Korea. We also determined mass discharge of NPs and COP, a fecal sterol, into the lake, to understand the linkage between discharge and sediment contamination. Total NP (the sum of nonylphenol, and nonylphenol mono- and di-ethoxylates) were 0.32-875 μg L⁻¹ in creeks, 0.61-87.0 μg L⁻¹ in WWTP effluents, and 29.3-230 μg g⁻¹ TOC in sediments. Concentrations of COP were 0.09-19.0 μg L⁻¹ in creeks, 0.11-44.0 μg L⁻¹ in WWTP effluents, and 2.51-438 μg g⁻¹ TOC in sediments. The spatial distributions of NPs in creeks and sediments from the inshore region were different from those of COP, suggesting that Lake Shihwa contamination patterns from industrial effluents differ from those from domestic effluents. The mass discharge from the combined outfall of the WWTPs, located in the offshore region, was 2.27 kg d⁻¹ for NPs and 1.00 kg d⁻¹ for COP, accounting for 91% and 95% of the total discharge into Lake Shihwa, respectively. The highest concentrations of NPs and COP in sediments were found in samples at sites near the submarine outfall of the WWTPs, indicating that the submarine outfall is an important point source of wastewater pollution in Lake Shihwa.     

2013—2017年《自然资源学报》办刊进展

论文基于2013—2017年中国科学技术信息研究所发布的《中国科技期刊引证报告（核心版）》和《中国科技期刊引证报告（扩刊版）》,《中国学术期刊（光盘版）》电子杂志社有限公司、中国科学文献计量评价研究中心和清华大学图书馆联合发布的《中国学术期刊影响因子年报》以及中国科学院文献情报中心的中国科学引文数据库（CSCD）中统计的《自然资源学报》的总被引频次、影响因子等相关引证指标,分析了近5年来《自然资源学报》一些重要引证指标的变化;同时梳理了《自然资源学报》近5年来被数据库收录情况、获奖情况以及发表的学术论文获奖和被媒体报道、转载情况,总结了2013—2017年间《自然资源学报》的办刊进展。结果表明：1）《自然资源学报》2016年核心影响因子、扩展影响因子和复合影响因子分别达到1.912、2.565、3.250,近5年来的增长率分别达到47.0%、46.4%、33.8%,在资源科学期刊领域排名稳居前列;2）《自然资源学报》已被国内重要数据库和检索系统全部收录,并在2016年被收录在EBSCO最新研发的数据库Academic Search Ultimate;3）2013—2017年间,《自然资源学报》共获得了15项学术期刊领域奖项,2013—2017年连续获得中国科协精品科技期刊工程项目支持,并于2014、2015年获得中国科学院科学出版三等基金资助;4）2013—2017年间,《自然资源学报》共有65篇论文入选中国精品科技期刊顶尖学术论文,多篇论文被媒体报道和转载。通过对2013—2017年《自然资源学报》发展状况的分析,为期刊未来的发展提供科学依据,为我国资源科学期刊质量的提升提供参考。     

基于时空指示克里格的PM2.5不确定性分布

以山东省2014年PM_2.5浓度监测数据为对象,利用时空指示克里格理论和方法,实现对PM_2.5时空分布的不确定性分析.结果表明,山东省境内PM_2.5的空间自相关范围大于100km,时间自相关范围为3d左右.此外,山东省境内各空间位置全年空气质量以大于0.8的概率达到空气质量"优"级别的时空占比为7%,以大于0.8的概率达到轻度污染级别的时空占比为34%,以大于0.8的概率超过严重污染级别的时空占比为1%;东部沿海地域空气质量达到轻度污染的概率明显高于中西部,夏季空气质量也明显优于其它季节.