Reflecting ecological criteria in laws supporting the Baja to Bering Sea marine protected areas network case study

Canadian and US marine conservation law, and other related law, was analyzed to determine if it reflected ecological criteria needed to implement connectivity among marine protected areas of the northeast Pacific in the proposed trilateral Baja to Bering Sea (B2B) initiative. The analysis included both nations’ federal laws and those of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and British Columbia. While legal provisions exist already to implement marine protected areas for varying reasons, there is little capacity in most laws to create connectivity among them for conservation purposes. Only California's legislation contained explicit provisions for all the criteria. Other federal, state, and provincial laws, while containing provisions for species at risk and vulnerable habitats, generally lacked explicit provisions for the vital criteria, size of area, migratory patterns, and recruitment patterns. Implementation, future management, and protection of the proposed B2B marine network would be facilitated by amendment of both Canadian and US laws. Some of the ecological criteria are already implied implicitly or vaguely, but they need to be made explicit in the amended law. The legislative model of California could serve as a template for amending the laws of other jurisdictions in the B2B venture.     

The water supply footprint (WSF): a strategic planning tool for sustainable regional and local water supplies

This paper introduces a new methodological approach of the ecological footprint explicitly addressing the sustainability of water supplies, which we call the water supply footprint (WSF). The WSF calculates the catchment area or water supply hinterland of a certain society and can serve as a strategic planning tool for local or regional water supplies linking the water demand with the water supply in a water supply footprint matrix. Based on regional water balances it estimates how much water can be appropriated for human use in an environmentally sustainable way.The proposed method is tested on the South East Queensland water supply in Australia, an area where water use restrictions are regularly imposed on the population. Applying the proposed method indicates that supply shortages may be avoided by considerably changing the organisation of water supply, thereby reducing and possibly even avoiding the necessity for large-scale supply side measures like additional sweet water reservoirs or desalination plants. In that way it is demonstrated that the WSF method is applicable at an early and strategic stage of water supply planning.     

Carbon footprint of food - approaches from national input-output statistics and a LCA of a food portion

The aim of the study, on which this paper is based, was to provide guidance to consumers to make environmentally responsible choices in their food consumption, to assist food supply chain stakeholders to identify the key areas for environmental improvements, and to provide policy makers with a tool for monitoring the potential impacts on climate change resulting from developments within the food sector. At the macro level, the EIO-LCA model was developed specifically for the Finnish food chain; at the micro level, LCAs were performed on 30 lunch portions. The contribution of the Finnish food chain to climate change was 14%, which comprised 40% CO₂ emissions, 25% CH₄ emissions, and 34% N₂O emissions. The share of impacts from domestic agricultural processes was the highest, at 69%. The impact of a single lunch portion ranged between 0.65 and 3.80 kg of equivalent CO₂. According to the EIO-LCA model, the average impact was 7.7 kg CO₂ eq/person daily. The consumer phase accounted for between 8 and 47% of the climate change impacts for homemade portions. In ready-to-eat portions industry and retail phases were emphasized, representing 25-38% of climate change impacts. We present an approach to steer the Finnish food sector onto an environmentally sustainable path; practical tools for consumers and farmers will especially need to be developed further.     

基于STIRPAT模型的能源消费碳足迹变化及影响因素——以江苏省苏锡常地区为例

定量研究经济社会发展对地区能源消费碳足迹的影响对区域实现低碳发展具有重要意义。论文计算了江苏省苏锡常地区1991-2008年能源消费碳足迹,采用岭回归函数对STIRPAT模型进行了拟合,采用脱钩指数分析了经济发展与能源消费碳足迹之间的关系。结果表明:①1991-2008年能源消费碳足迹平均增长速度为15.30%,能源消费碳足迹分配率以煤炭为主,石油所占比例呈波动下降趋势,天然气所占比例上升较快,能源消费碳足迹产值总体呈波动下降趋势;②经济增长是能源消费碳足迹的主要影响因素,两者关系模型拟合未出现环境库兹涅茨曲线;③经济增长与能源消费碳足迹之间处于相对脱钩与复钩的波动状态,从另一侧面验证了目前两者之间不存在库兹涅茨曲线假说的结论。     

基于Landsat TM遥感数据的沈阳市生态环境监测与评价

以近年Landsat TM 遥感图像为基础数据源,利用遥感与GIS技术对沈阳市生态环境状况进行了监测.结果表明,2009年间沈阳市生态环境质量处于一般水平,与2008年相比,生态环境质量指数上升,生态环境状况呈现变好的趋势.     

以生态足迹法分析评估抚顺市可持续发展

在介绍生态足迹理论和计算模型的基础上,对抚顺市2007年的可持续发展状态进行了实例计算和分析,结果表明抚顺2007年的生态赤字为4.986 3hm2,其城市处于非可持续发展的状态.在此基础上,提出了促进抚顺可持续发展的建议.     

基于GIS的海岛生态脆弱性评价研究与实践——以海坛岛为例

基于生态敏感度、生态弹性度和生态压力度,构建了海岛生态脆弱性评价的指标体系,采用综合指数法和GIS相结合的方法对海坛岛的生态脆弱性进行了定量评价,并绘制了生态脆弱性等级分布图,分析了生态脆弱度的空间差异和不同区域生态脆弱性的主导成因.评价结果与该区域的生态环境状况较为一致,对于海坛岛的生态保护和资源利用具有一定的指导意...     

云南星云湖南岸生态整治规划

阐述了高原湖泊星云湖的自然条件、污染根源和景观特点,在此基础上通过本项目星云湖南岸(一期)生态整治规划,尝试在整个流域范围内运用GIS分析生态湿地建设、农业面源污染控制和重现滨水空间等,改善星云湖的水质,提高星云湖及周边的生态旅游价值.规划采用顶端控制和底端治理相结合的策略,恢复星云湖流域的生态功能,解决星云湖流域现有...     

枣庄市生态足迹动态研究

应用生态足迹模型对山东省枣庄市1995-2008年生态足迹进行了计算,分析该市14年来各类土地生态足迹消费和供给的动态变化趋势,研究了该市土地资源利用的可持续性发展状况。结果表明,枣庄市生态足迹消费从1995年的2.926 4 hm2/人增加到2008年的6.880 1 hm2/人,增加了2.25倍;生态足迹消费大于土地生态系统的承载力表现为生态赤字,赤字水平由1995年的2.630 4hm2/人上升到2008年的6.529 0 hm2/人,增加了2.48倍,区域内的土地利用处于不可持续发展状态。计算表明该市的资源利用方式仍处于消耗型、粗放型阶段,发展模式是不可持续的,其生态环境具有不安全性,社会经济发展与生态环境的协调性很差。     

化工建设规划生态环境影响评价研究

规划环境影响评价是以可持续发展的思想为出发点,通过调整规划布局或规模从规划源头预防环境污染和生态破坏.文章探讨了化工建设规划的生态环境影响评价理论和方法学体系,并以武汉化工新城为例,对该理论方法体系进行探讨.