实施环境-水文-生态-经济协同管理战略,保护和修复长江湖泊群生态环境

长江中下游浅水湖泊群具有十分重要的生态服务功能。然而,该湖群正面临江湖阻隔和富营养化等严重威胁。近年来,湖泊生态环境的保护和修复越来越受到重视,但治理效果不甚明显。其根本原因是:对由流域诸多胁迫导致的湖泊问题缺乏系统全面的认识,导致头痛医头、脚痛医脚。为此,本文提出应对长江湖群实施环境-水文-生态-经济协同管理战略,即在湖泊及其流域实施环境工程以控制入湖污染,实施生态水文工程以恢复自然水文体制,实施生态修复工程以增强生物自净能力,制定水环境经济制度以建立湖泊保护修复的激励和约束机制,构建生态健康评价体系以实施适应性管理,前提是责任主体明确。     

Concentrations of U,U, U,Th, Th,Th, Ra,Ra, Ra,Po, Pb and Pb in drinking water in Italy: reconciling safety standards based on measurements of gross α and β

Some important naturally occurring α- and β-radionuclides in drinking water samples collected in Italy were determined and the radiological quality evaluated. The mean activity concentrations (mBq L⁻¹) of the radionuclides in the water samples were almost in the order: 26 ± 36 (²³⁴U) > 21 ± 30 (²³⁸U) > 8.9 ± 15 (²²⁶Ra) > 4.8 ± 6.3 (²²⁸Ra) > 4.0 ± 4.1 (²¹⁰Pb) > 3.2 ± 3.7 (²¹⁰Po) > 2.7 ± 1.2 (²¹²Pb) > 1.4 ± 1.8 (²²⁴Ra) > 1.1 ± 1.3 (²³⁵U) > 0.26 ± 0.39 (²²⁸Th) > 0.0023 ± 0.0009 (²³⁰Th) > 0.0013 ± 0.0006 (²³²Th). The mean estimated dose (μSv yr⁻¹) to an adult from the water intake was in this order: 2.8 ± 3.3 (²¹⁰Po) > 2.4 ± 3.2 (²²⁸Ra) > 2.1 ± 2.1 (²¹⁰Pb) > 1.8 ± 3.1 (²²⁶Ra) > 0.94 ± 1.30 (²³⁴U) > 0.70 ± 0.98 (²³⁸U) > 0.069 ± 0.087 (²²⁴Ra) > 0.036 ± 0.044 (²³⁵U) > 0.014 ± 0.021 (²²⁸Th) > 0.012 ± 0.005 (²¹²Pb) > 0.00035 ± 0.00029 (²³⁰Th) > 0.00022 ± 0.00009 (²³²Th). It is obvious that ²¹⁰Po, ²²⁸Ra, ²¹⁰Pb and ²²⁶Ra are the most important dose contributors in the drinking water intake. As far as the seventeen brands of analysed drinking water were concerned, the committed effective doses were in the range of 2.81–38.5 μSv yr⁻¹, all well below the reference level of the committed effective dose (100 μSv yr⁻¹) recommended by the WHO. These data throw some light on the scale of the radiological impact on the public from some naturally occurring radionuclides in drinking water, and can also serve as a comparison for the dose contribution from artificial radionuclides released to the environment as a result of human practices. Based on the radionuclide composition in the analysed waters, comment was made on the new screening level for gross α activity in guidelines for drinking-water quality recommended by the WHO, 2004.     

Probabilistic distribution coefficients (Kds) in freshwater for radioisotopes of Ag,Am, Ba,Be, Ce,Co, Cs,I, Mn,Pu, Ra,Ru, Sb,Sr and Th – implications for uncertainty analysis of models simulating the transport of radionuclides in rivers

The objective of this study was to provide operational probability density functions (PDFs) for distribution coefficients (K_ds) in freshwater, representing the partition of radionuclides between the particulate and the dissolved phases respectively. Accordingly, the K_d variability should be considered in uncertainty analysis of transport and risk assessment models. The construction of PDFs for 8 elements (Ag, Am, Co, Cs, I, Mn, Pu and Sr) was established according to the procedure already tested in Durrieu et al. [2006. A weighted bootstrap method for the determination of probability density functions of freshwater distribution coefficients (K_ds) of Co, Cs, Sr and I radioisotopes. Chemosphere 65 (8), 1308–1320]: (i) construction of a comprehensive database where K_ds values obtained under various environments and parametric conditions were collected; (ii) scoring procedure to account for the ‘quality’ of each datapoint (according to several criteria such as the presentation of data (e.g. raw data vs mean with or without replicates), contact time, pH, solid-to-liquid ratio, expert judgement) in the construction of the PDF; (iii) weighted bootstrapping procedure to build the PDFs, in order to give more importance to the most relevant datapoints. Two types of PDFs were constructed: (i) non-conditional, usable when no knowledge about the site of concern is available; (ii) conditional PDFs corresponding to a limited range of parameters such as pH or contact time; conditional PDFs can thus be used when some parametric information is known on the site under study. For 7 other radionuclides (Ba, Be, Ce, Ra, Ru, Sb and Th), a simplified procedure was adopted because of the scarcity of data: only non-conditional PDFs were built, without incorporating a scoring procedure.     

New best estimates for radionuclide solid–liquid distribution coefficients in soils. Part 3: miscellany of radionuclides (Cd,Co, Ni,Zn, I,Se, Sb,Pu, Am,and others)

New best estimates for the solid–liquid distribution coefficient (K_d) for a set of radionuclides are proposed, based on a selective data search and subsequent calculation of geometric means. The K_d best estimates are calculated for soils grouped according to the texture and organic matter content. For a limited number of radionuclides this is extended to consider soil cofactors affecting soil–radionuclide interaction, such as pH, organic matter content, and radionuclide chemical speciation. Correlations between main soil properties and radionuclide K_d are examined to complete the information derived from the best estimates with a rough prediction of K_d based on soil parameters. Although there are still gaps for many radionuclides, new data from recent studies improve the calculation of K_d best estimates for a number of radionuclides, such as selenium, antimony, and iodine.     

Nature,Crisis, Risk,Science, and Society: What is Our Ethical Responsibility?

In his keynote address, Robert Cox raised key questions, many of which force us to consider the larger question of the role of academics in society. The authors respond by suggesting that environmental communication, like other communication studies, is inherently normative and that environmental communication scholarship is closely aligned to risk as a centerpiece to crisis analysis. The authors discuss the productive connections among science, communication and sound public policy that make society more fully functional, including the formation of effective public policy through science that is normative while seeking objectivity, evaluating and symbolizing motives in discourse, acknowledging uncertainty and acceptable uncertainty, and that material and symbolic dimensions of the environment are interdependent. Thus, such studies focus on the ethics of environment and must balance sound science and cultural considerations.     

长江中游城市群经济-城市-社会-环境耦合度空间差异分析

以长江中游城市群的36个城市为例,构建了经济发展、城市化、社会保障、生态环境综合评价指标体系,运用耦合度模型评估了36个城市2011~2013年的耦合度,并利用GIS技术分析系统的得分与耦合度的空间分布特征。结果表明:长江中游城市群的36个城市的经济发展、城市化和社会保障水平的空间分布比较相似,三者间存在显著的正相关关系。但是,存在显著性的地区差异。36个城市生态环境得分均值很高,城市之间差异很小。从耦合度的空间分布来看,长江中游城市群明显存在3个高耦合度的聚集区域,即长株潭城市圈,武汉-南昌(含鄂州、黄石和九江)城市带和鄂北4市,即十堰、襄阳、宜昌和荆门。最后,36个城市之间耦合度的差异呈现逐年缩小的趋势。     

David Buckland,Founder, Cape Farewell,with Renée Lertzman

Cape Farewell is the brainchild of London-based artist David Buckland. The project is centered round a series of sailing voyages into the Arctic, through routes that were previously icebound but are now passable. The expeditions take teams of world-renowned artists, educators, writers, musicians and thinkers into the Arctic, onboard a hundred-year old schooner, with the invitation to engage with scientists (from the National Oceanography Centre, as well as Southampton), to make art, and to draw people's attention to the effects of ocean currents on us and our climate. Since its first expedition in 2003, the project has grown to include educational programs, an award-winning website, a BBC documentary, and an exhibit, “The Ship, The Art of Climate Change,” developed with the Natural History Museum and which has embarked on a worldwide tour. In August 2007, Cape Farewell began a three-year residency at Southbank Centre, operating as a cultural eco-hub for the Centre's creative climate change initiatives, and has started a collaboration with the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK.

This interview was conducted in the Cape Farewell offices, which are in David Buckland's studio atop his family home in Camden, London. Currently, Renée Lertzman is conducting a PhD in critical psychology studies at Cardiff University in Wales, UK. Her interviews and writings relating to environmental communication have appeared in The Sun Magazine, Orion, Land and People (Trust for Public Land), Speak Magazine, Terra Nova, and Organization & Environment. Lertzman can be contacted at http://www.reneelertzman.org. For more information about Cape Farewell, visit http://capefarewell.com.     

Glutathione S-transferase cytosolic isoform in the pink-shrimp, Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis, from Conceição Lagoon, Santa Catarina Island, SC, Brazil

Contaminant input into the environment can affect the biochemical responses of exposed organisms. Activity of conjugation enzymes, such as glutathione S-transferase (GST) has been proposed as a biomarker of susceptibility to the presence of potentially damaging xenobiotics. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the activity of total and Pi-class GST in the hepatopancreas of pink-shrimp Farfantepenaeus brasiliensis. The shrimp were caught at a single site at Concei??o Lagoon and transplanted to another site (Canto da Lagoa - CA) in the same lagoon, and to the laboratory (LAB), where they were kept for 15 days. This experiment was carried out in winter 2003 and in summer 2004. Shrimp were sampled before the exposure, at a zero time (t0), and after 15-days at CA site and LAB. The activity of total GST and Pi-isoform were analyzed using CDNB and ethacrynic acid (EA) as substrates, respectively. Shrimp caught in winter showed higher levels of Pi-class GST than those caught in summer, for both t0 and CA groups. Moreover, differences in the activity of this GST isoform between groups were observed only in winter, where the animals from t0 and CA groups presented higher activity when compared to those kept in the laboratory. This difference could be associated either to changes in the contaminant input or to other water quality parameters in this ecosystem. The elevated GST Pi activity observed in the shrimp of both t0 and CA groups sampled in winter could be related to salinity, since it was higher in winter than in summer. We could also suggest a possible association of this finding to a seasonal metabolic variation in this penaeid. If that is the case, one should take into account these alterations when considering the use of this GST isoform as biomarker in F. brasiliensis in environmental monitoring programs.     

Can biotransformation of BDE-209 in lake trout cause bioaccumulation of more toxic, lower-brominated PBDEs (BDE-47, -99) over the long term?

Much debate exists on the future direction of policy related to the deca-brominated diphenyl ethers (deca-BDE) mixture. This debate, in part, results from the fact that BDE-209 can debrominate to more toxic lower-polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). However, such debromination is difficult to study using measured concentrations alone because of the short-term nature of laboratory experiments and the presence of lower-brominated congeners in the environment. Here, a rigorously calibrated, multichemical, dynamic fish model (Bhavsar et al. 2008, Environ. Sci. Technol., 42, 3724-3731) is used to predict the debromination of BDE-209 to more toxic lower-brominated PBDEs over a 15-year life period of piscivorous- and non-piscivorous lake trout (pLT, npLT; Salvelinus namaycush). A sensitivity analysis was performed by changing BDE-209 dietary dose, gut absorption efficiency and half-life for generally conservative scenarios. Estimated BDE-209, -99 and -47 concentrations were compared with human fish consumption guidelines developed using the draft U.S.EPA tolerable daily intakes. The model predicted that bioaccumulation of BDE-209 as well as BDE-47 and -99 due to dietary exposure to deca-BDE over the 15-year period would not be appreciable in pLT (generally unrestricted consumption advisory) and would be moderate in npLT (unrestricted to 2 meals/month advisory) even for worst-case scenarios.     

张家界市旅游-经济-生态环境协调发展综合评价

旅游业是当前许多国家和地区重要的发展产业之一,而良好的生态环境是旅游经济持续发展的重要基础和载体。协调好旅游发展与生态环境之间的关系,已成为实现旅游地可持续发展的关键问题之一。张家界市是我国著铭旅游景区——武陵源风景名胜区的所在地,本文从旅游-经济-生态环境之间的关系出发,通过引入协调发展度数学模型及计算方法,对张家界市1996-2010年旅游-经济与生态环境协调发展状况和发展态势进行了综合评价。研究表明,张家界市旅游子系统与经济子系统的评价值总体呈上升趋势,但旅游子系统的评价值存在一定的波动变化;张家界市旅游-经济-生态系统的协调发展度总体呈上升趋势,但仍属中度协调发展类;系统耦合协调类型正在以经济发展超前型逐渐演变为旅游发展超前型。这说明近年来张家界市的旅游业得到了快速发展,综合效益不断提高;但相对于旅游发展的而言,其生态环境的发展与改善还有较大的潜力和发展空间。     

More aid, better institutions, or both?

It has been nearly 20 years since a working definition for “sustainable development” was put forward by the World Commission on Environment and Development. The concept endures in the mission statements and frameworks of action of various societal actors, including those of neighborhood associations, metropolitan development authorities, environmental ministries, and United Nations (UN) specialized organizations, to name a few. Yet many observers doubt that sustainable development is occurring in poor countries. This failure, the critics contend, stems from miserly transfers of foreign aid. The extent to which inadequate aid is to blame for poor environmental/developmental outcomes is an open question. But vocal demands for increasing aid to meet sustainable development goals come from many parts of society and are persistent. Exhortations for more aid to help poor countries are noble, perhaps even justifiable, but there are understandable doubts about the wisdom of transferring large capital and technical resources to countries that are slow to adopt needed institutional reforms. Aid without institutional reform is a recipe for wasted resources and donor fatigue. Worse, it may enhance inequities of wealth and power in recipient countries. There are few illustrations to draw on demonstrating how institutionally impoverished societies are affected when they are compelled to absorb massive aid inputs over a short period––a remedy suggested by some prominent aid experts. As a proxy, it is valuable to examine instances where swift macroeconomic changes, spurred by external investment and export-led growth, has occurred without significant institutional development. The case of Equatorial Guinea and its sudden oil riches is examined to discern whether, in the absence of meaningful institutional reform, rapid and profound increases in foreign direct investment and export income enable poverty alleviation and sustainable development.

Population,Land Use and Deforestation in the Pan Amazon Basin: a Comparison of Brazil,Bolivia, Colombia,Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela

This paper discusses the linkages between population change, land use, and deforestation in the Amazon regions of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, and Venezuela. We begin with a brief discussion of theories of population–environment linkages, and then focus on the case of deforestation in the PanAmazon. The core of the paper reviews available data on deforestation, population growth, migration and land use in order to see how well land cover change reflects demographic and agricultural change. The data indicate that population dynamics and net migration exhibit to deforestation in some states of the basin but not others. We then discuss other explanatory factors for deforestation, and find a close correspondence between land use and deforestation, which suggests that land use is loosely tied to demographic dynamics and mediates the influence of population on deforestation. We also consider national political economic contexts of Amazon change in the six countries, and find contrasting contexts, which also helps to explain the limited demographic-deforestation correspondence. The paper closes by noting general conclusions based on the data, topics in need of further research and recent policy proposals.Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue