Assessment of eco-labelling criteria development from a strategic sustainability perspective

To turn current patterns of consumption and production in a sustainable direction, solid and understandable market information on the socio-ecological performance of products is needed. Eco-labelling programmes have an important role in this communication. The aim of this study is to investigate what gaps there may be in the current criteria development processes in relation to a strategic sustainability perspective and develop recommendations on how such presumptive gaps could be bridged. First a previously published generic framework for strategic sustainable development is described and applied for the assessment of two eco-labelling programmes. Data for the assessment is collected from literature and in semi-structured interviews and discussions with eco-labelling experts.The assessment revealed that the programmes lack both an operational definition of sustainability, and a statement of objectives to direct and drive the criteria development processes. Consequently they also lack guidelines for how product category criteria might gradually develop in any direction. The selected criteria mainly reflect the current reality based on a selection of negative impacts in ecosystems, but how this selection, or prioritization, is made is not clearly presented. Finally, there are no guidelines to ensure that the criteria developers represent a broad enough competence to embrace all essential sustainability aspects.In conclusion the results point at deficiencies in theory, process and practice of eco-labelling, which hampers cohesiveness, transparency and comprehension. And it hampers predictability, as producers get no support in foreseeing how coming revisions of criteria will develop. This represents a lost opportunity for strategic sustainable development. It is suggested that these problems could be avoided by informing the criteria development process by a framework for strategic sustainable development, based on backcasting from basic sustainability principles.     

Remediation of copper polluted red soils with clay materials

Attapulgite and montmorillonite were utilized to remediate heavy metal polluted red soils in Guixi City, Jiangxi Province, China. The e ects of clay minerals on availability, chemical distribution, and biotoxicity of Cu and Zn were evaluated. The results provided a reference for the rational application of clay materials to remediate heavy metal contaminated soils. From the sorption experiment, the maximum adsorbed Cu2+ by attapulgite and montmorillonite was 1501 and 3741 mg/kg, respectively. After polluted red soil was amended with attapulgite or montmorillonite and cultured at 30 and 60 days, soil pH increased significantly compared to the control. An 8% increase in the amount of montmorillonite in soil and 30 days incubation decreased acid exchangeable Cu by 24.7% compared to the control red soil. Acid exchangeable Cu decreased with increasing amounts of attapulgite and montmorillonite, with best remediation e ect reached at a dose of 8%. Results also showed that the Cu poisoning e ect on earthworms was reduced with the addition of attapulgite and montmorillonite. Montmorillonite showed the best e ect, with the addition of a 2% dose the mortality of earthworms decreased from 60% to zero compared to the control. Our results indicated that the bioavailability of Cu in soils was reduced more e ectively with the application of montmorillonite than attapulgite.     

煤炭井工开采项目中土地整治评价内容的协调

通过典型案例,阐述了环境影响评价、水土保持方案和土地复垦方案三个咨询成果在对煤矿土地整治工程中的矛盾与不协调,并提出了协调思路与方法。     

人工湿地处理污染河水的持续性运行研究

中国北方地区城市纳污河道内的污染河水具有水量、水质、水温季节性变化大的特点,这给人工湿地污染河水处理系统的持续性运行造成很大困难.通过1a多的连续性运行,对潜流人工湿地污染河水处理系统的可持续运行问题进行了系统研究,年平均水力负荷为15 cm/d.结果表明,季节变化对氨氮的去除效果影响很大,夏季氨氮去除效果良好,去除率达70%以上,而冬季水温降低到15℃以下时,氨氮去除率降低到30%以下,但季节变化对COD去除效果的影响较小.人工湿地在夏季雨季时期可以承受较大的短期洪水水力冲击负荷,在100 cm/d的负     

重庆市1997年-2005年生态足迹与发展能力实证分析

生态足迹是一种定量测量人类对自然资源利用程度的全新方法。在介绍了生态足迹的概念和生态足迹的模型与生态系统经济发展能力以及目前的研究成果基础上,根据1998年-2006年的《重庆市统计年鉴》的资料数据,对重庆市1997年-2005年的生态足迹进行了实证计算与分析,结果表明重庆市从1997年的人均生态足迹由1.096ha/cap增加到2005年底的1.635ha/cap,人均生态赤字由1997年的0.9000ha/cap增加到2005年的1.2742ha/cap,9年间的增幅为41,5％,平均每年为6.1％;通过人均GDP与发展能力的回归分析表明,生态系统的经济发展能力是一个很好的反映重庆市经济系统状况的指标。     

浅议贵州水电开发与生态环境保护

贵州的水能资源储量丰富,水能蕴藏量1874千瓦,列全国第六位,开发潜力巨大。开发水电不仅能充分地利用贵州丰富的水资源,同时水电还具有防洪、灌溉、供水、旅游等综合效益,对促进贵州省经济社会的可持续发展具有重要作用;但另一方面水电开发可能会给生态环境造成负面的影响,水土流失、下游水质恶化、水电开发区生态平衡的失调等。因此,水电开发者只有坚持水电开发建设与生态环境保护相协调发展的战略思想,水电开发才能在贵州走得更久。     

浅析中国的电子垃圾治理

本文分析了电子垃圾的成分、特征、危害以及中国电子垃圾现状,并在借鉴国外先进经验的基础上,进一步探讨了中国电子垃圾污染现状的原因和如何规范并合理地处理和回收电子垃圾,通过从法律、市场、企业和政府等多方面分析,提出了防治电子垃圾污染的建议和措施,同时呼吁社会各界共同关注电子垃圾对我们生存环境的影响,提高资源化废弃物和循环经济理念,提高全社会的环境保护意识,鼓励公众参与,这对促进中国经济的可持续发展和构建和谐社会具有重大意义。     

基于旅游生态足迹模型的山东省旅游可持续发展评价

以生态足迹理论为基础,将旅游生态足迹引入区域旅游可持续发展评价,阐述了旅游生态足迹的概念,并构建旅游生态足迹模型,用于衡量旅游可持续发展能力。以山东省作为研究对象,对旅游生态足迹模型在大尺度区域旅游业可持续发展定量测度中的运用进行实证研究,计算其2000年-2004年的旅游生态足迹。结果表明：山东省近五年出现了不同程度的旅游生态赤字和生态压力,平均存在0.133 3 hm2/人的旅游生态赤字,旅游生态压力平均值为4.898 3,并呈现出明显的逐年递增趋势,其旅游业处于不可持续发展状态。     

土壤铜污染的影响因素及其修复技术研究

铜污染引起的生态和环境问题已受到人们的高度重视。土壤中铜对生物的毒害作用主要取决于它的赋存形态。土壤组成成分、pH值、土壤中其它污染物以及环境因素都会对铜在土壤中的赋存形态和吸附解吸产生影响,因此,不同土壤对外来铜污染的缓冲能力有一定的差异。已经有学者研究出针对铜污染土壤的几种有效的修复技术,目前主要是植物修复技术。现有修复技术中仍存在一些问题,其引导着今后相关研究的发展方向。     

贵州土地复垦发展现状及其对策研究

详细分析了贵州省土地复垦的发展现状以及近年来所做的工作及成效,研究了矿山开采等活动对贵州省土地资源造成的破坏及生态危害,提出了具体的土地复垦的技术措施。为了实现能源、环境、社会、人口和经济的可持续发展,土地复垦是必然选择。