The political economy of certificates for land use in Germany – experimental evidence

Certificate trading schemes have been discussed as a cost-efficient means of reducing urban land consumption in Germany by capping and reallocating permissions to conduct building projects. However, in contrast to the established cap & trade systems for emissions, reputation-seeking politicians would be in charge of buying and trading certificates – an aspect not considered to date. We thus present a laboratory experiment that captures politicians’ incentives connected to electoral cycles in a cap & trade scheme for land consumption, whereby tradable certificates are auctioned and grandfathered in equal shares. We find the cap & trade system to be efficient at large; yet, there are several politically relevant distortions that are aggravated by self-serving incentives. We thus identify potential problems to a cap & trade system for urban land consumption that could substantially reduce both its assumed superior efficiency and its political feasibility.     

我国居民消费对环境的影响

现阶段,我国居民经济能力提高,出现了浪费型消费与攀比型消费,加上日益增长的人口数量,形成了一个巨大的"吞噬环境圈"。为了研究消费对环境的影响,本文立足于消费对碳排放量的影响,构建了STIRPAT模型,分析了人口数、城市化率、人均消费量、碳排放强度对碳排放总量的影响;得出了城市化率对碳排放量具有明显增加作用的结论;计算了人口数、城市化率、人均消费量的增长对碳排放增长量的贡献率,得出了人口数和人均消费量的变化对碳排放量的变化也有显著影响的结论;描述了我国五类消费品的增长情况;提出了消费方式从个人到企业,再到政府,最后到世界的转变过程与转变消费方式的路径,包括建立绿色GDP核算体系、进行绿色城市化、继续降低碳排放强度、加强教育和宣传以改变现存消费观、利用行政和法律实现节能低碳消费方式、重视新型能源技术的开发、拓展利用资源的广度和深度、加强国际交流与合作;最后,总结了改变物质主义价值取向和行为规范,完善绿色产品及基础设施的供给需要注意的三个方面。     

The long iron line: Water resources development at the United States Military Academy,West Point (1802–1943)

Comprehensive analyses of long-term region-specific water resources developments could offer new insights for contemporary water resources planners and decision makers. The objective of this work was to analyze water supply development at the United States Military Academy (USMA) during the 19th and early 20th Centuries through the lens of selected modern water resources planning and management practices. Analysis of water usage, population, and technological growth revealed that changes in technology had a greater influence on total water withdrawals than an increase in population. The USMA water supply system evolved incrementally over much of the 141-year study period and failure to adequately recognize shortcomings in water supply options resulted in several suboptimal decisions. Communications and enhanced stakeholder participation might have resulted in alternative decisions.     

基于监测数据的土壤源热泵系统设计优化分析

针对建筑中地源热泵系统实际地下换热过程复杂、设计困难等问题,以苏州地区某浅埋式地源热泵系统为研究对象,运用TRNSYS软件搭建地源热泵仿真模型,对一定条件下埋管内冷却水流速与地源热泵系统性能的耦合关系进行了模拟分析。仿真结果表明相同蓄热体积下埋管深度对系统性能影响较小。增大冷却水流速有利于土壤温度恢复,但系统耗电量增加。该浅埋式地源热泵系统冷却水流速1~2 m/s均在合理范围内,且埋管深度越大,最佳设计流速越小。     

长三角地区池塘养殖水产品体内农药类污染与食用风险评价

为了解池塘养殖水产品体内的农药污染情况,以便为水产品质量评价及保障当地居民的饮食健康提供科学依据,本研究采用气相色谱质谱联用法(GC-MS)对长三角地区13个养殖池塘中5类(蟹类、鳖类、蚌类、虾类、鱼类)水产品体内9种有机磷农药(OPPs)、8种有机氯农药(OCPs)以及4种拟除虫菊酯类农药(SPs)进行了检测,并初步分析了其污染来源。结果表明,水产品体内3类农药均有检出,但残留水平均不高,OPPs残留总量为未检出至299 ng·g-1(dw),三唑磷、伏杀硫磷、喹硫磷和毒死蜱较易在水产品体内蓄积;OCPs残留总量为16~82 ng·g-1(dw),主要污染物为六六六(HCHs),主要来自历史残留;SPs残留总量为44~89 ng·g-1(dw),主要污染物为高效氯氟氰菊酯。水产品体内的农药污染可能与养殖池塘中的沉积物污染密切相关。5类水产品体内3类农药的总风险指数(HI)为0.0020~0.046,远小于1,因此,长三角地区由3类农药造成的健康风险处于安全水平。     

‘Wannabe Toxic-Free?’ From precautionary consumption to corporeal citizenship

Ecological citizens are increasingly encouraged to adopt ‘precautionary consumption’ – a set of practices aimed at shielding them from the potential health harms of exposures to everyday toxics. The utility and the effects of precautionary consumption in relation to common chemical exposures are investigated. Precautionary consumption is not only of questionable utility, but is fundamentally misguided as an approach for inspiring antitoxics organizing. The failure of this approach is in part due to its assumption of a naturally bounded, autonomous individual who is able to maintain an impermeable boundary between herself and the environment. Drawing on the work of material feminist theorists, it is argued that Gabrielson and Parady’s notion of corporeal citizenship, an approach that places bodies into a complex web of material, ecological relations entangled with the social, offers several strategic advantages for framing resistance strategies.     

Household adjustment to flood risk: a survey of coastal residents in Texas and Florida,United States

Individual households have increasingly borne responsibility for reducing the adverse impacts of flooding on their property. Little observational research has been conducted, however, at the household level to examine the major factors contributing to the selection of a particular household adjustment. This study addresses the issue by evaluating statistically the factors influencing the adoption of various household flood hazard adjustments. The results indicate that respondents with higher‐value homes or longer housing tenure are more likely to adopt structural and expensive techniques. In addition, the information source and the Community Rating System (CRS) score for the jurisdiction where the household is located have a significant bearing on household adjustment. In contrast, proximity to risk zones and risk perception yield somewhat mixed results or behave counter to assumptions in the literature. The study findings provide insights that will be of value to governments and decision‐makers interested in encouraging homeowners to take protective action given increasing flood risk.     

Greening the Brazil,Russia, India,China and South Africa (BRICS) economies: Assessing the impact of electricity consumption,natural resources,and renewable energy on environmental footprint

Electricity consumption is a crucial factor in the environmental pollution process, and therefore, its impact needs to be carefully considered by policymakers. This study investigates the relationship between energy consumption, electricity generation, natural resource utilization, and environmental pollution in BRICS nations, which have a substantial share in global resource consumption. To this end, we employed a novel methodology, namely the Method of Moment Quantile Regression (MMQR), for the time period between 1990 and 2018, within the framework of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory. The study's outcome shows that natural resources and renewable energy are efficacious and significant in curbing environmental degradation among the sample countries. The investigation reveals a positive correlation between electricity consumption and environmental degradation, thereby highlighting this vital resource's role in exacerbating the BRICS nations’ ecological footprint. The findings from this research can provide crucial insights for policymakers to achieve sustainable development and carbon neutrality in these countries.     

Microwave treatment of dairy manure for resource recovery: Reaction kinetics and energy analysis

A newly designed continuous-flow 915 MHz microwave wastewater treatment system was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the microwave enhanced advanced oxidation process (MW/H₂O₂-AOP) for treating dairy manure. After the treatment, about 84% of total phosphorus and 45% of total chemical oxygen demand were solubilized with the highest H₂O₂ dosage (0.4% H₂O₂ per %TS). The reaction kinetics of soluble chemical oxygen demand revealed activation energy to be in the range of 5–22 kJ mole^?1. The energy required by the processes was approximately 0.16 kWh per liter of dairy manure heated. A higher H₂O₂ dosage used in the system had a better process performance in terms of solids solubilization, reaction kinetics, and energy consumption. Cost-benefit analysis for a farm-scale MW/H₂O₂-AOP treatment system was also presented. The results obtained from this study would provide the basic knowledge for designing an effective farm-scale dairy manure treatment system.     

安徽省工业化石能源消费碳排放研究

按不同化石能源品种的消费量估算安徽省2004—2014年CO2排放量,分析该省工业行业能源消费量及化石能源消费碳排放量的变化规律。在此基础上,采用等维灰数递补动态GM(1,1)预测模型预测3种发展情景下2030年安徽省工业化石能源消费碳排放量。结果表明:安徽省工业化石能源消费CO2排放量由2004年的1.64亿t上升到2014年的4.25亿t;到2030年,在基准情景、低碳情景和强化低碳情景下将分别达到7.51亿t、6.06亿t和4.91亿t。