Toward sustainable use of natural resources: Nexus between resource rents,affluence, energy intensity and carbon emissions in developing and transition economies

Sustainable use of natural resources would entail ensuring that derived economic benefits today do not undermine the welfare of generations to come. On this basis, this study examines the nexus between natural resource rents and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions disaggregated into production and consumption-based (i.e., trade-adjusted) CO₂ emissions for a selected panel of 45 developing and transition economies over the period 1995–2017. The empirical model also incorporates the impacts of population, affluence, and energy intensity. The results show that affluence increases production-based CO₂ emissions by 1.407%, with the EKC's predicted inverted U-shaped curve only explaining consumption-based CO₂ emissions. Economic reliance on natural resource rents and energy intensification contribute 0.022% and 0.766%, respectively, to CO₂ emissions embedded in territorial production inventories and 0.035% and 0.583%, respectively, to CO₂ emissions embedded in consumption inventories. The bootstrap non-causality test shows that historical data on each variable has significant predictive power for future CO₂ emissions from both sources. The historical information about natural resource rents has significant predictive power over the future levels of affluence and energy intensity. Clearly, the results show that the environmental impact of natural resource rents is stronger when CO₂ emissions are adjusted for trade and varies among the countries, with Bangladesh, Guinea, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe among the most affected countries. Overall, this study provides motivation for policies to keep the use of natural resources within sustainable limits.     

Effects of Amazonian flying rivers on frog biodiversity and populations in the Atlantic rainforest

Given the speed at which humans are changing the climate, species with high degrees of endemism may not have time to avoid extinction through adaptation. We investigated through teleconnection analysis the origin of rainfall that determines the phylogenetic diversity of rainforest frogs and the effects of microclimate differences in shaping the morphological traits of isolated populations (which contribute to greater phylogenetic diversity and speciation). We also investigated through teleconnection analysis how deforestation in Amazonia can affect ecosystem services that are fundamental to maintaining the climate of the Atlantic rainforest biodiversity hotspot. Seasonal winds known as flying rivers carry water vapor from Amazonia to the Atlantic Forest, and the breaking of this ecosystem service could lead Atlantic Forest species to population decline and extinction in the short term. Our results suggest that the selection of morphological traits that shape Atlantic Forest frog diversity and their population dynamics are influenced by the Amazonian flying rivers. Our results also suggest that the increases of temperature anomalies in the Atlantic Ocean due to global warming and in the Amazon forest due to deforestation are already breaking this cycle and threaten the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest hotspot.     

Spatial analysis of resources and environmental carrying capacity in Iran

Urbanization and mass movement of the population from rural areas and small cities to megacities have led to environmental, economic, and social problems in Iran. In dealing with these challenges, assessing resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is considered an effective method to leverage space and capital to achieve sustainable development. This study aimed to rank the provincial RECC in Iran. Toward this purpose, environmental indices were generated from remotely sensed and statistical census data. Then, the provinces were scored in terms of environmental, economic, and infrastructural carrying capacities, and RECC using the mean variance analysis method. Results demonstrated that in most areas, there is no relationship between economic and infrastructural capacities and development. Statistically, a correlation coefficient of −0.53 between economic and environmental carrying capacities indicated excessive use of environmental capacities. Moreover, the spatial distribution pattern of environmental, economic, and infrastructural carrying capacity was entirely heterogeneous between the provinces; there was a northeast–southwest pattern in terms of infrastructural capacity and an economic pattern from north to south. The distribution pattern of RECC is most consistent with the environmental capacity, pointing at the high weight of the indicators of the RECC model. In conclusion, this research offers a new vision for policymakers and provides a theoretical and applicable framework for implementing sustainable strategies in land-use planning. It is recommended that the RECC concept and tools can be used not only for planning but also for measuring the efficiency of spatial development programs and establishing land balances in the region.     

Temporal trends in agricultural water use and the relationships to hydroclimatic factors in the High Plains aquifer region

The High Plains aquifer (HPA) is the primary water source for agricultural irrigation in the US Great Plains. The water levels in many locations of the aquifer have declined steadily over the past several decades because the rate of water withdrawals exceeds recharge, which has been a serious concern to the water resources management in the region. We evaluated temporal trends and variations in agricultural water use and hydroclimatic variables including precipitation, air temperature, reference evapotranspiration, runoff, groundwater level, and terrestrial water storage across the HPA region for different periods from 1985 to 2020 at the grid, county, or region scale. The results showed that water withdrawals decreased from 21.3 km³/year in 1985 to 18.2 km³/year in 2015, while irrigated croplands increased from 71,928 km² in 1985 to 78,464 km² in 2015 in the entire HPA. The hydroclimatic time-series showed wetting trends in most of the northern HPA, but drying and warming trends in the southern region from 1985 to 2020. The groundwater level time-series indicated flat trends in the north, but significant declining in the central and southern HPA. Trends in irrigation water withdrawals and irrigation area across the HPA were controlled by the advancement of irrigation systems and technologies and the management of sustainable water use, but also were affected by dynamical changes in the hydroclimatic conditions.     

内陆核设施废液零排放方式探讨

液态放射性流出物是核设施运行的必然产物,滨海核设施向大海进行稀释排放处置,内陆核设施缺少稀释载体,采用自然蒸发空气载带方式将液体流出物通过气态途径向大气稀释排放是可行的替代方案,可以实现液态流出物的零排放。自然蒸发空气载带排放方案描述了工艺原理,提出了空气流速、空气温度、环境相对湿度、废水温度等与蒸发强度的关系,给出了一套自然蒸发载带排放装置的概念设计,分析了液态流出物转为气态途径排放对环境的影响,论证了采用自然蒸发空气载带方式实现内陆核设施液态流出物零排放目标的可行性。     

衡阳市区和衡山背景站臭氧浓度变化规律的对比分析

选取衡阳市区和衡山背景站臭氧自动监测数据,分析两地的臭氧污染特征。对空气质量的优良率情况、臭氧作为首要污染物的变化情况、臭氧浓度的日变化特征、典型时段的浓度变化特征、臭氧浓度的月际变化特征和臭氧与PM_(2.5)的关联情况等进行了分析。结果表明,多云及阴雨天气时,衡阳市区的臭氧浓度日变化幅度大于衡山背景站。夏季,衡阳市区和衡山背景站的臭氧浓度的日变化特征规律差异较大,臭氧浓度分布比较分散,前者为典型的单峰形,后者则波动平缓。冬季,日变化幅度不大,但衡阳市区的臭氧浓度明显低于衡山背景站。衡山背景站和衡阳市区的臭氧基本同步变化,但日均值高于衡阳市区。     

环保型塑料产业进展

本文在持续跟踪环保型塑料产业动态的基础上,从原料开发、产品设计、废弃物回收利用等方面,综述了生物基和石油基环保型塑料产业的最新进展,旨在为塑料研发人员和相关产业工作者开拓思路。指出:环保型塑料是未来塑料产业发展的重要方向,非环保型塑料的市场份额将逐步被环保型塑料占据,最后稳定在较低的水平上。     

环境保护税对企业绩效的影响研究：基于税额标准的提高

2018年中国正式开征环境保护税，这是我国首个以环境保护为直接政策目标的税种。环境保护税由排污费改革而来，有一半以上省份直接平移排污费收费标准，其他省份提高了税额标准。本文以2016—2019年中国上市公司季度数据为研究样本，利用PSM-DID方法评估了环境保护税税额标准提高对企业绩效的短期经济影响。实证结果表明，在短期内环境保护税税额标准提高并不会对企业绩效产生显著的影响，这一结论在进行三重差分、更换指标和数据等稳健性检验之后仍然成立。此外，本文发现在制度环境较好的东部地区，环境保护税对企业绩效的短期抑制作用更为显著，税额标准提高降低了企业的净资产收益率和总资产报酬率，显示出制度环境对环境保护税具有加强效应，从而促使企业有更好的环境表现。对此，本文提出应持续优化环境保护税制度，提高征管能力和水平，调高部分地区环境保护税税额标准，改进中西部地区制度环境等建议。     

地表水环境遥感监测关键技术与系统

介绍了地表水环境遥感监测的关键技术与系统及其典型应用,其代表性机理模型和应用示范成果主要来自于中国科学院遥感与数字地球研究所的高光谱遥感团队在最近几年中取得的一些研究进展,主要包括建立了基于改进双峰法的水体分布自动化遥感提取方法,实现了简单、高效和高精度的水体提取；提出了大型湖泊长时序水量估算方法,并以青藏高原湖区为例,重建了典型湖泊面积、水位和水量序列；发展了基于“软分类”的典型内陆水体叶绿素a浓度反演方法,构建了基于生物光学模型的高度浑浊水体悬浮物浓度遥感反演半解析方法,提高了反演方法的区域和季节适用性；构建了基于水色指数的大范围湖库营养状态和透明度遥感监测方法,实现了全球大型湖库营养状态遥感监测,以及全国大型湖库透明度遥感监测；在此基础上,开发了地表水环境遥感监测系统,提高了水环境遥感监测效率,促进了卫星遥感在水环境监测中的高精度业务化应用。     

低中放废物处置FEPs清单的构建——以飞凤山处置场为例

识别所有影响其长期安全的有关因素,即特征(Features)、事件(Events)和过程(Processes)(FEPs),是放射性废物处置场安全全过程系统分析的关键过程之一。我国目前低中放固体废物处置环境影响评价中未开展FEPs识别和景象开发。拟以飞凤山处置场为例,选择自下而上方法的构建方法,对如何建立我国的低中放废物处置FEPs清单进行了探讨。并以最新发布的NEA国际FEPs清单(3.0版)中提出的基于外部因素和处置组成(废物包、处置场、岩石圈和生物圈)的分类方案为基础,结合飞凤山处置场的近地表处置及其环境特征,建立了该处置场的FEPs清单。