Zinc processing in the USA : An analysis of a declining industry

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the recent behaviour of the US zinc processing industry and the impact of US government policies on it. The first section of the paper is a discussion on the basic structure and conditions of the US zinc processing industry since 1950 and how they have changed. The discussion contains a general presentation of the US zinc market, a detailed look at the behaviour of individual primary zinc processing plants in the USA, Canada, Japan and Western Europe and an analysis of US government policies and their impacts on the US zinc industry. The second section of the paper is a discussion of the factors that have contributed to the decline in US zinc processing capacity and the type of government policy that should be followed in response.     

Simulation of Airport Air Quality by Box Photochemical and Gaussian Models

Brookhaven National Laboratory has critically evaluated the structure and results of the Stanford Research Institute model (SRI model) for assessing national-level economic impacts of oxidants on plants. In response to inherent weaknesses in the SRI approach, a new model (DAMAGE) was constructed to estimate national-level damage from oxidants for alfalfa. DAMAGE uses actual oxidant measurements and the Oshima dose-response function for alfalfa to estimate effects on yield. Economic loss is then simply calculated by multiplying crop value by percent loss. Estimates of oxidant effects on alfalfa in 1974 were calculated with both DAMAGE and the SRI model. Results of the SRI model closely approach those of DAMAGE when the dose estimate is approximated by the seasonal total of the hourly averages. Other methods of estimating dose in DAMAGE give distinctly higher estimates of economic loss. The lower bound estimates suggest losses equal to $20 million or 4% of the total yield in the counties examined. Upper estimates suggest losses as high as $200 million or a 36% reduction in yield.     

环境中的药物——LC-MS/MS分析地表水和地下水

成百上千的活性物质正被用于人药和兽药处方中.由于药物的广泛应用,它们的残留物可通过多种途径进入环境.虽然主要通过尿和粪便的排泄,但是药品生产中的排放也应被考虑.当抗生素用于水产业,就会产生更直接的影响.污水处理设备不能完全除去药物,因此药物会出现在地表和地下水样品中.近年来,人们对环境中药物的兴趣正在增加,需要建立一种快速、灵敏、有选择性的方法来分析水样.     

Lead uptake by Eichhornia Crassipes

Factors influencing uptake of lead(II) by the water hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes), were examined. Two phases of uptake were observed for the concentration range investigated (0.01–1000 ppm). The initial, rapid uptake phase of about 4 hours is followed by a slower, near linear phase extending past 24 hours. Stirring the solution enhanced uptake, suggesting that lead removal is in part diffusion limited. In the range of 4–8, pH has little effect on uptake where as outside this range, uptake is reduced. Increased solution volume or rootmass results in more metal being removed by the plant. The presence of strong complexers blocks the initial rapid uptake phase as does the presence of Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), and Fe(III). Strong complexers can also strip a portion of any lead already removed from solution by the plant.     

The role of collaboration in environmental management: an evaluation of land and resource planning in British Columbia

Recent literature on land-use planning proposes the use of innovative collaborative planning (CP) models to resolve planning disputes. This paper uses a participant survey based on 25 evaluative criteria to evaluate an application of CP to land-use planning in British Columbia, Canada. The results show that CP is an effective means of resolving environmental conflict and produces significant additional benefits such as improved stakeholder relations, skills, and knowledge. The case study evaluation also identifies the keys to successful CP management including factors related to process design and external circumstances.     

Species' traits predict phenological responses to climate change in butterflies

How do species' traits help identify which species will respond most strongly to future climate change? We examine the relationship between species' traits and phenology in a well-established model system for climate change, the U.K. Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS). Most resident U.K. butterfly species have significantly advanced their dates of first appearance during the past 30 years. We show that species with narrower larval diet breadth and more advanced overwintering stages have experienced relatively greater advances in their date of first appearance. In addition, species with smaller range sizes have experienced greater phenological advancement. Our results demonstrate that species' traits can be important predictors of responses to climate change, and they suggest that further investigation of the mechanisms by which these traits influence phenology may aid in understanding species' responses to current and future climate change.     

The big clean up: social marketing for the Auckland region

The Big Clean Up (BCU) started in 2001 as Auckland Regional Council's (ARC) sustainability social marketing project and arose from catalysts for change that occurred within ARC in the late 1990s—leadership, training, partnerships and values. The BCU features strong marketing images and messages that have increased awareness and participation in the region according to extensive stakeholder surveys. It is intended to engage individuals and households in sustainable living—especially among the public middle ground—not those already committed to a green lifestyle. Membership of BCU after one year is about 44,000—almost one in ten households. Although ARC has considered the BCU successful, questions arise about the level of resilience of the campaigns without ongoing investment in expensive multimedia advertising and other initiatives. The paper concludes with a discussion on the impact of the underlying pedagogy in the light of social marketing and behaviour change theory.     

Marine protected areas and local coastal conservation and management in Hong Kong

Abstract

This paper presents as case studies some New Zealand local government sustainable development initiatives in cleaner production and civic building design. From a series of structured interviews with key players, it describes key motivators and demotivators and puts these in the context of behaviour change theory. These enable a set of actions for local government to be developed that, if applied, could result in an advancement of the sustainable development agenda. However, other critical factors are given that are external to these actions and on which their overall success is dependent. In reviewing these factors as a group we conclude that far greater understanding of the partnership formation process and its dynamic in engendering successful sustainable development decision-making processes is crucial to move beyond the rhetoric of partnerships and enter the more complex and difficult world of truly participatory approaches.