The effect of industry activities on public support for ‘fracking’

Research suggests that previous, current, and prospective extractive industry activities influence perceptions of new development. Studies that have drawn this conclusion, however, have usually focused on specific projects in specific communities. Here, these factors are examined on an aggregate, national scale. Combining geospatial data on extractive industry activities and survey data from a nationally representative sample (N = 1061), the influence of extractive industry activities on support for fracking is studied. While limited evidence is found for the impact of proximity to oil and gas wells or production on support for fracking, employment levels in the natural resources and mining sector in the respondent’s county and residence in an area experiencing active oil and gas development significantly increase support for fracking. The results highlight the role of spatial and community factors in shaping support for energy development.     

道家的“自然无为”思想与我国非煤矿山安全制度管理

针对目前我国非煤矿山在安全制度管理过程中常常出现刚性有余而柔性不足的缺陷,总结出非煤矿山在制订、执行和完善安全制度中存在的问题主要表现在安全制度的制订与实际符合度不高、安全制度的执行过程重形式轻实践、对安全制度的完善重视度不够3个方面。引入道家"自然无为"思想,分析了"自然无为"思想对安全制度的制订、执行和完善3个阶段的影响。提出在安全制度的制订时注重"道法自然";在安全制度的执行时强调"三和"观;在安全制度的完善时注重"顺道而为"。将道家"自然无为"思想与安全制度管理相融合,能有效增强安全制度管理的"人情味",使其更好地发挥基础保障作用。     

Unintended Effects of Emphasizing the Role of Climate Change in Recent Natural Disasters

In 2017, the United States experienced a series of natural hazards (hurricanes, wildfires, and blizzards) that resulted in significant loss of life and property. Emphasizing the role of climate change in these events might offer an important tool for engagement, particularly with skeptical audiences. However, in a survey experiment (N?=?1504) involving three different natural hazards – hurricanes, wildfires, and blizzards – we find that emphasizing the role of climate change in these hazards produced unintended effects for climate change skeptics. In particular, skeptics experienced resistance to the news article, which associated with reduced perceived hazard severity. These backfiring effects likely serve as a defensive mechanism used by skeptics to maintain their prior views of climate change, illustrating the challenges faced in communicating climate change to skeptical audiences. These findings offer additional insight for those attempting to communicate climate-related risk information to skeptical audiences.     

Experimental research of LNG accidental underwater release and combustion behavior

Evaluating potential hazards caused by accidental LNG release from underwater pipelines or vessels is a significant consideration in marine transportation safety. The aim of this study was to capture the dynamic behavior of LNG jet released under water and to analyze its vapor dispersion characteristics and combustion characteristics on the water surface during different release scenarios. Controlled experiments were conducted where LNG was jet released from a cryogenic storage tank. The dynamic process of LNG being jet released from orifices of different sizes and shapes, as well as the rising plume structure, were captured by a high-speed camera. The leakage flow rate and pipeline pressure were recorded by a flow meter and pressure gauge, respectively. The concentration distribution that emanated from the water surface was measured utilizing methane sensors in different positions with various wind speeds. The flame combustion characteristics of LNG vapor clouds, which immediately ignited upon the enclosed water tank, were also recorded. Additionally, the mass burning rate of the flame on the water surface was evaluated, and a new correlation between the ratio of flame length and width was established. The results indicated a large dimensionless heat release rate (Q*) and a continuous release flow rate in a limited burning area. This study could provide greater understanding of the mechanisms of LNG release and combustion behavior under water.     

自然资源资产审计制度的供给侧改革

自然资源是可持续发展的基础。完善自然资源资产审计制度,是保护自然资源、践行生态文明的要求。自然资源资产审计的前提是自然资源的确权和量化,是自然资源与自然资源资产在审计上的“融合”。作为自然资源资产审计的依据,相关制度应该对自然资源的确权、计量和有效利用作出合理安排,才能有效抑制资源滥用冲动。但立足于自然资源资产审计实践,综合运用文献研究、个案调查、跨学科研究等方法,分析现行的自然资源制度,没有发现可操作性的自然资源产权制度、计量制度和评价制度,已有制度存在权责不匹配、责任界定不清晰、公众参与有困难、审计指标不健全;制度系统呈现存量不足、增量困难、实践不力,不能适应新时代要求和自然资源合理利用需要。因此,可以从制度存量、增量和协同三条路径实施制度供给侧改革;在完善制度存量方面,可以在经济责任审计规定中嵌入自然资源资产审计内容,完善自然资源资产评价标准、责任制度和审计结果运用办法等;在提高制度增量方面,完善自然资源资产的权利制度、计量制度、信息公开制度和公众参与制度等;同时,通过适时修订审计法、制定自然资源资产法,强化制度协调,以突破自然资源资产的制度瓶颈,方便审计算好“生态账”、把好“生态关”。在自然资源资产制度改革过程中,需要借助决策层和专家力量,摆脱部门立法局限,强化制度协调;同时,制度改革也是一个不断优化的过程,要兼顾公众、个人、政府及其职能部门等多方利益,才能有效满足资源节约型和环境友好型社会的需要。     

Ecosystem services assessments in local municipal decision making in South Africa: justification for the use of a business-based approach

The ecosystem services (ES) concept is being increasingly incorporated into environmental policy formulation and management approaches. The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR) is a framework used to assess the dependence and impact that a business has on ES. The success of the corporate experience of ES assessment provides an opportunity for adaption for local authority decision making. In this paper, the ESR tool was adapted to the South African setting at a local government level, and tested at two sites in the Msunduzi Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. In testing the tool and gathering feedback from key stakeholders, it was found that there are both opportunities and challenges to this approach. Overall, however, it provides an opportunity for the systematic inclusion of ES assessment into existing regulatory frameworks for land-use planning and Integrated Environmental Management, whether in a strategic application, at a broader spatial (municipal) scale or in a specific locale within the municipality.     

区域主体功能实现与自然资源利用的定量关系研究

主体功能区划通过主体功能划分的方式将开发和保护结合,自然资源开发利用复杂化过程中资源利用与目标实现之间亟需实现基本的定量核算关系。本文从自然资源可持续利用角度,试图探讨建立初步的主体功能核算关系,通过核算框架进行生产、生活、生态主体功能概算与比较。以京津冀主体功能区与水资源为例,对所设立的核算关系进行了验证与应用,并构造绝对与相对量指标量化京津冀主体功能量、功能水资源投入量与效率,进行了异空间尺度与异质性功能的比较,为以主体功能实现最大化为目标的资源优化配置提供量化工具。结果显示:①利用生态服务价值测算的当量因子法与水足迹测算的投入产出法,刻画了水资源对于地区主体功能的支撑作用。②利用功能总量与单位功能水资源投入量指标完成了异质性功能在异质性空间上规模、结构、相应水资源效率的比较。基于算例结果得到以下结论:①本文构建的自然资源-主体功能核算关系框架能够有效衔接主体功能规划,定量核算能有效反映与评价资源对区域功能目标、经济开发活动的支撑作用。②区域资源配置存在相对功能实现的效率差异,可根据资源投入与功能产出之间的关系引导实现功能最大化目标的资源配置。合理、有效的量化手段能够推进主体功能制度的落实,也有助于当前中国空间规划体系编制与落实的实际指导效果。     

Investigating the key indicators for evaluating post‐disaster shelter

This study sought to identify the primary indicators for evaluating shelter assistance following natural disasters and then to develop a shelter evaluation instrument based on these indicators. Electronic databases and the ‘grey’ literature were scoured for publications with a relation to post‐disaster shelter assistance. Indicators for evaluating such assistance were extracted from these publications. In total, 1,525 indicators were extracted from 181 publications. A preliminary evaluation instrument was designed from these 1,525 indicators. Shelter experts checked the instrument for face and content validity, and it was revised subsequently based on their input. The revised instrument comprises a version for use by shelter agencies (48 questions that assess 23 indicators) and a version for use by beneficiaries (52 questions that assess 22 indicators). The instrument can serve as a standardised tool to enable groups to gauge whether or not the shelter assistance that they supply meets the needs of disaster‐affected populations.     

Fine‐resolution conservation planning with limited climate‐change information

Climate‐change induced uncertainties in future spatial patterns of conservation‐related outcomes make it difficult to implement standard conservation‐planning paradigms. A recent study translates Markowitz's risk‐diversification strategy from finance to conservation settings, enabling conservation agents to use this diversification strategy for allocating conservation and restoration investments across space to minimize the risk associated with such uncertainty. However, this method is information intensive and requires a large number of forecasts of ecological outcomes associated with possible climate‐change scenarios for carrying out fine‐resolution conservation planning. We developed a technique for iterative, spatial portfolio analysis that can be used to allocate scarce conservation resources across a desired level of subregions in a planning landscape in the absence of a sufficient number of ecological forecasts. We applied our technique to the Prairie Pothole Region in central North America. A lack of sufficient future climate information prevented attainment of the most efficient risk‐return conservation outcomes in the Prairie Pothole Region. The difference in expected conservation returns between conservation planning with limited climate‐change information and full climate‐change information was as large as 30% for the Prairie Pothole Region even when the most efficient iterative approach was used. However, our iterative approach allowed finer resolution portfolio allocation with limited climate‐change forecasts such that the best possible risk‐return combinations were obtained. With our most efficient iterative approach, the expected loss in conservation outcomes owing to limited climate‐change information could be reduced by 17% relative to other iterative approaches.     

Dynamics of local governance in natural resource conservation in the Okavango Delta,Botswana

There has been a shift in natural resource management worldwide. This paper describes how modern institutions and policies influence management and shape access to and utilization of resources by rural communities in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. It is rooted in the framework of adaptive co‐governance within social‐ecological systems, and employs a critical literature review to analyse access to and use of natural resources in rural Botswana. Prior to the establishment of community‐based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Botswana in 1989, resource governance was dominated by strong traditional institutions that were responsible for natural resource management and decision‐making. Contemporary natural resource governance is characterized by a bureaucratic system that invariably undermines the role of traditional institutions in natural resource governance. Findings indicate that policies and regulatory instruments deny rural communities adequate access to and utilization of resources available within their immediate environment. In spite of an orientation towards an anthropocentric approach to natural resource management (as in the case of CBNRM), the current governance system continues to undermine the inclusion of local resource users as legitimate stakeholders in the decision‐making process.