Why a 100-Year Time Horizon should be used for GlobalWarming Mitigation Calculations

Global warming mitigation calculationsrequire consistent procedures for handlingtime in order to compare `permanent' gainsfrom energy-sector mitigation options with`impermanent' gains from many forest-sectoroptions. A critical part of carbonaccounting methodologies such as thosebased on `ton-years' (the product of thenumber of tons of carbon times the numberof years that each ton is held out of theatmosphere) is definition of a timehorizon, or the time period over whichcarbon impacts and benefits are considered. Here a case is made for using a timehorizon of 100 years. This choice avoidsdistortions created by much longer timehorizons that would lead to decisionsinconsistent with societal behavior inother spheres; it also avoids a rapidincrease in the implied value of time ifhorizons shorter than 100 years are used.Selection of a time horizon affectsdecisions on financial mechanisms andcarbon credit. Simple adaptations canallow a time horizon to be specified andused to calculate mitigation benefits andat the same time reserve a given percentageof weight in decision making forgenerations beyond the end of the timehorizon. The choice of a time horizon willheavily influence whether mitigationoptions such as avoided deforestation areconsidered viable.     

呼和浩特市地表水水质变化趋势分析

对黄河(过境)、大黑河水系及浑河水系十年水质检测结果进行综合分析,揭示其变化趋势,并针对各河流污染断面提出急需解决的问题.     

Revisit ocean thermal energy conversion system

The earth, covered more than70.8% by the ocean, receives most of itsenergy from the sun. Solar energy istransmitted through the atmosphere andefficiently collected and stored in thesurface layer of the ocean, largely in thetropical zone. Some of the energy isre-emitted to the atmosphere to drive thehydrologic cycle and wind. The wind fieldreturns some of the energy to the ocean inthe form of waves and currents. Themajority of the absorbed solar energy isstored in vertical thermal gradients nearthe surface layer of the ocean, most ofwhich is in the tropical region. Thisthermal energy replenished each day by thesun in the tropical ocean represents atremendous pollution-free energy resourcefor human civilization. Ocean ThermalEnergy Conversion (OTEC) technology refersto a mechanical system that utilizes thenatural temperature gradient that exists inthe tropical ocean between the warm surfacewater and the deep cold water, to generateelectricity and produce other economicallyvaluable by-products. The science andengineering behind OTEC have been studiedin the US since the mid-seventies,supported early by the U.S. Government andlater by State and private industries.There are two general types of OTECdesigns: closed-cycle plants utilize theevaporation of a working fluid, such asammonia or propylene, to drive theturbine-generator, and open-cycle plantsuse steam from evaporated sea water to runthe turbine. Another commonly known design,hybrid plants, is a combination of the two.OTEC requires relatively low operation andmaintenance costs and no fossil fuelconsumption.OTEC system possesses a formidablepotential capacity for renewable energy andoffers a significant elimination ofgreenhouse gases in producing power. Inaddition to electricity and drinking water,an OTEC system can produce many valuableby-products and side-utilizations, such as:hydrogen, air-conditioning, ice,aquaculture, and agriculture, etc. Thepotential of these by-products, especiallydrinking water, aquaculture andmariculture, can easily translate intobillions of dollars in businessopportunities. The current status of theOTEC system definitely deserves to becarefully revisited. This paper willexamine recent major advancements intechnology, evaluate costs andeffectiveness, and assess the overallmarket environment of the OTEC system anddescribe its great renewable energypotential and overall benefits to thenations of the world.     

Bioenergy to mitigate for climate change and meet the needs of society,the economy and the environment

Changes towards environmental improvementsare becoming more politically acceptableglobally, especially in developedcountries. Society is slowly moving towardsseeking more sustainable productionmethods, waste minimisation, reduced airpollution from vehicles, distributed energygeneration, conservation of native forests,and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions. Modern biomass, when used tosupply useful bioenergy services, has arole to play in each one of theseenvironmental drivers at both the large andsmall scales.This paper describes recent developments inbiomass supply and the technologies for itsconversion to bioenergy including biofuelsfor transport. It examines the economic,environmental and social benefits andidentifies barriers to bioenergy projectimplementation. Future opportunities forbiomass as a carbon (C) sink, a C offsetand a potential source of renewablehydrogen are discussed.Whether or not a bioenergy project iseconomically viable, as well as being trulyrenewable, sustainable and environmentallysound, is determined mainly by the sourceof biomass. The social benefits from usingbiomass are also valuable, though they areoften not clearly presented when proposingnew bioenergy projects or conductinganalyses of existing plants. Employmentrates per MWh or per GJ exceed those whenusing fossil fuel supplies to provide thesame energy service. `Ownership' bystakeholders and local communities at anearly stage in the development process isthe key to successful project developmentin order to share the benefits. Bioenergyhas a significant global role to play inthe mitigation of atmospheric GHG concentrations.     

Life on the Edge: Vulnerability and Adaptation of African Ecosystems to Global Climate Change

Donor countriesare providing financial and technicalsupport for global climate change countrystudies to help African nations meet theirreporting needs under the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC). Technical assistance to completevulnerability and adaptation assessmentsincludes training of analysts, sharing ofcontemporary tools (e.g. simulationmodels), data and assessment techniques,information-sharing workshops and aninternational exchange programme foranalysts. This chapter summarizes 14African country studies (Botswana, Côted'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, the Gambia,Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, SouthAfrica, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia andZimbabwe) assessing vulnerabilities toglobal climate change and identifyingadaptation options. The analysis revealedthat the participating African countriesare vulnerable to global climate change inmore than one of the followingsocio-economic sectors: coastal resources,agriculture, grasslands and livestock,water resources, forests, wildlife, andhuman health. This vulnerability isexacerbated by widespread poverty,recurrent droughts, inequitable landdistribution, environmental degradation,natural resource mismanagement anddependence on rain-fed agriculture. Arange of practical adaptation options wereidentified in key socio-economic sectors ofthe African nations analysed. However,underdeveloped human and institutionalcapacity, as well as the absence ofadequate infrastructure, renders manytraditional coping strategies (rooted inpolitical and economic stability)ineffective or insufficient. FutureAfrican country studies should be moreclosely coordinated with development ofnational climate change action plans     

Relationships between Danish organic farming and landscape composition

This article presents an investigation of relationships between organic farming and landscape composition in Denmark. Landscape composition was analysed in terms of density of uncultivated landscape elements (I), number of land uses per hectare (II), diversity of land use (III) and mean field size (IV). Two analytical approaches were used. The first was based on an examination of the national agricultural registers for 1998, 2001 and 2004. The second approach used aerial photo interpretation for an analysis of 72 conventional and 40 organic farms within three sample areas for 1982, 1995 and 2002. The national analysis indicated that organic farming has a direct effect on landscape composition. In 2001, organic farms were characterised by a higher number of land uses per ha, a higher land use diversity and smaller mean field sizes. From 1998 to 2004, conversion to organic farming was related to an increasing number of land uses per ha, increasing land-use diversity and decreasing mean field sizes. Relationships between organic farming and landscape composition were independent of variations in regional location, farm size or farm size change. At the level of sample areas, a significant relationship between organic farming and landscape composition was only found for densities of small biotopes. However, when differences in farm size and physical geographical conditions between conventional and organic farms were taken into account, several significant differences in landscape composition were clarified in two of the three sample areas. Furthermore, changes in landscape composition following conversion to organic farming were largely biased by the characteristics of the sample areas. Thus, in contrast to the national level, the sample area study indicated that differences in landscape composition between organic and conventional farms were not a direct implication of organic farming practices, but were related to variations within other parameters and to the location of organically farmed land.     

抚顺市大气降尘污染状况及变化趋势分析

对抚顺市20年来城市环境空气中自然降尘的污染状况及变化趋势进行了全面分析。分析认为抚顺市环境中自然降尘的污染比较重,其中工业区的污染十分严重，交通区的污染也呈上升趋势，近几年由于沙尘天气的频繁出现，导致春季污染加重。并针对降尘的污染状况及变化趋势，提出相应的治理办法及防治途径。     

新一代天气雷达系统电磁辐射环境影响分析一例

对我国第一部新一代多普勒气候雷达的电磁辐射进行了实地监测,结合所在位置地势,高差等因素,评价了其辐射对环境产生的影响,为分析其搬迁后可能对环境产生的环境影响提供参考.     

淀粉聚乙燃膜在受控条件下的好氧生物降物

采用土埋、真菌生长和ＣＯ２释放试验分别测定了几咱淀粉聚乙烯膜的生物降解性。试验结果表明，膜的生物降解性与膜中的淀粉含量正相关，并受膜比面积大小的影响。在受控条件下，含淀粉６％～３０％的经２８ｄ降解后，降解质量变化率在０．６％～１２．４％范围内，其ＣＯ２释放量为０．０２～０．１５ｍｇ／ｍｇ膜，中的聚乙烯组分不仅本身难被生物降解，而且还抑制微生物对其淀粉组分的降解。ＣＯ２是淀粉聚乙烯膜好氧生物降解的降     

Prospects for mitigating carbon,conserving biodiversity,and promoting socioeconomic development objectives through the clean development mechanism

Should forest-based climate mitigationmeasures be approved for crediting through the CleanDevelopment Mechanism (CDM), they could offer anopportunity to accomplish three important objectives:cost-effective reductions in carbon emissions andsequestration of atmospheric carbon; conservation andrestoration of forests and their biological diversity;and, the assistance of host countries and communitiesin their socioeconomic development. However,prospective investors in CDM projects, host countriesand other CDM `stakeholders' might be expected toplace widely different priorities on achieving theseobjectives. This paper describes several factors thatwill affect investor interest in CDM projects, thecharacteristics of forest-based CDM projects that willattract investments, and an approach to identifyingprojects that meet the key objectives of multiplestakeholders. This approach entails identifyingsites, such as degraded watersheds, where CDMfinancing for forest conservation and restoration cangenerate readily monetizable local and regionalsocioeconomic benefits, while mitigating carbonemissions in forests with importance for conservingbiodiversity.