Obstacles for CCS deployment: an analysis of discrepancies of perceptions

The potential for CO₂ emission reductions through carbon capture and storage (CCS) is depending on investments that can bring the technology from the current R&D through to commercial applications. The intermediate step in this development is demonstration plants that can prove the technical, economic, social, and ecological feasibility of CCS technologies. Based on a CCS stakeholder questionnaire survey and a literature review, we critically analyse discrepancies regarding perceptions of deployment obstacles and experiences from early demonstration plants. The analysis identifies discrepancies between CCS policies versus important deployment considerations and CCS stakeholder policy demands. The discrepancy gap is emphasised by lessons from restructured, postponed, and cancelled CCS projects. To bridge this cognitive gap towards proving CCS through demonstration activities, the article highlights policy implications of establishing a broad understanding of deployment obstacles. Attention to these obstacles is important for policymakers and industry in channelling efforts to demonstrating CCS, hence validating the current focus on CCS as a key abatement potential. Under present conditions, the findings question the robustness of current CCS abatement potential estimates and deployment goals as established by policymakers and in scenarios.     

Exploring socioeconomic impacts of forest based mitigation projects: Lessons from Brazil and Bolivia

This paper aims to contribute new insights globally and regionally on how carbon forest mitigation contributes to sustainable development in South America. Carbon finance has emerged as a potential policy option to tackling global climate change, degradation of forests, and social development in poor countries. This paper focuses on evaluating the socioeconomic impacts of a set of forest based mitigation pilot projects that emerged under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The paper reviews research conducted in 2001–2002, drawing from empirical data from four pilot projects, derived from qualitative stakeholder interviews, and complemented by policy documents and literature. Of the four projects studied three are located in frontier areas, where there are considerable pressures for conversion of standing forest to agriculture. In this sense, forest mitigation projects have a substantial role to play in the region. Findings suggest however, that all four projects have experienced cumbersome implementation processes specifically, due to weak social objectives, poor communication, as well as time constraints. In three out of four cases, stakeholders highlighted limited local acceptance at the implementation stages. In the light of these findings, we discuss opportunities for implementation of future forest based mitigation projects in the land use sector.     

公路水路交通循环经济评价指标体系构建研究

在对公路水路交通行业循环经济和相应统计的发展现状评估的基础上，分析了数据需求，并首次提出了公路水路交通行业循环经济评价指标体系的构建及其调查方法。     

Drivers,barriers and incentives to implementing environmental management systems in the food industry: A case of Lebanon

The shift in policy towards prevention and towards making producers responsible for the pollution they cause has lead corporations to limit environmental liabilities through the improvement of environmental performance. The implementation of an Environmental Management System integrates the precautionary and polluter pays principles into a firm's operations and demonstrates commitment to sustainable development. This research aims at assessing the factors influencing the implementation of ISO 14001 Environmental Management System in developing countries taking the Food Industry in Lebanon as a case example. For this purpose, primary data were collected using a field survey questionnaire that was administered to a representative sample of facilities. The results revealed that the food industry is generally more concerned with safety and quality issues rather than environmental issues. Following international food sector trend, improving environmental performance and enhancing company image are the most salient drivers to adopt ISO 14001. The lack of government support and stakeholder demand as well as the fact that ISO 14001 is not a legal requirement constitute the most salient factors hindering the adoption of the standard. Economical and organizational factors are the most significant incentives required to motivate the food industry to adopt ISO 14001. The industry is less likely to voluntarily consider adopting ISO 14001 before acquiring a quality management certification or until ISO 14001 certification gain more recognition in the international food sector. The study defines the foundations for developing strategies, policy reforms and incentive schemes to reduce the barriers of implementing ISO 14001.     

武汉市大气环境质量的综合评价

大气污染严重危害了人体健康和生态平衡,控制大气污染,改善大气环境质量是现代城市可持续发展的必要条件。文章首先选取了城市区域大气环境的评价指标,以武汉市环境保护局1997～2005年提供的原始数据为对象,使用主成分分析法分析了武汉市1997～2005年大气环境质量的变化状况,分析结果表明武汉市大气环境污染1997～2005年间逐年降低。在此基础上使用自组织特征映射验证了主成分分析的结果正确,最后给出了相关结论。     

Implementing stricter environmental regulation to enhance eco-efficiency and sustainability: a case study of Shandong Province’s pulp and paper industry, China

There has been much debate on the topic of whether stricter environmental regulations can promote environmental performance and economic performance at the same time. Different researchers have used different indicators to measure environmental performance and economic performance in their empirical studies. However, it is a surprise that few studies have checked the relationship between environmental regulation and eco-efficiency, as the latter is widely regarded as a quite powerful tool of considering ecology and economy together.In this study the background is the implementation in 2003 of the Stricter Discharge Standard (SDS) in Shandong Province’s Pulp and Paper Industry (SPPI), compared to the national standards of China. The stricter regulations were intended to promote corporate change from passive management to active control and from end-of-pipe treatment to cleaner production. This study investigated the eco-efficiency trends of SPPI from 2001 to 2008 in three fields: water efficiency, energy efficiency and environment efficiency. A “de-linking” and “re-linking” tool was used to attain a further evaluation. The study showed that with the implementation of stricter regulation most of the efficiency indicators (except CO₂ emission and energy consumption) had achieved significant improvements, and the overall environmental performance trends of SPPI showed it to be more sustainable. However, the study also found that it was not enough to address a single indicator in the environmental regulation of the pulp and paper industry. More holistic eco-efficiency indicators need to be further considered and introduced to the industry as the next step to create true sustainable development.     

国内外城市可持续发展指标体系比较

文章以英国2009年发表的可持续发展指标体系和美国可持续社区指标指南为例,比较了国内外城市可持续发展评估指标体系,列举了各指标体系的大类和分项,从指标体系的选择和评价方法的确定等方面综述了国内可持续发展指标体系,以期为制定和完善中国的城市可持续发展指标体系提供参考。     

Strengthening the science–policy interface: experiences from a European Thematic Network on Air Pollution and Health (AIRNET)

Thematic Network projects are increasingly viewed as promising mechanisms for improving the link between science and policy, particularly in light of further improving air quality that will require substantial financial investments. As the literature identifying principles or guidelines for planning and implementing such network projects is limited, this paper describes the experience of the European Commission (Directorate General Research) funded Thematic Network on Air Pollution and Health (AIRNET). In its 3-year duration (2002–2004), AIRNET used a variety of activities (international conferences, national network days, website, air pollution project inventory, database of air pollution research, newsletters, multi-disciplinary work groups) to increase the range of stakeholders involved so that research findings could be better integrated, communicated and interpreted to support policy. Despite the limitations of this type of project and the challenge of improving the communication between scientists and policy makers, the activities of the network have contributed to the development of a multi-disciplinary air pollution and health network in Europe with wide stakeholder involvement. The AIRNET experience indicates that Thematic Networks do not develop spontaneously and that a variety of impulses are needed to link the different players. Communication is key and should be considered as a joint responsibility of all parties involved—including scientists, policymakers, health care professionals and representatives from industry and non-governmental organisations.     

矿业城市生态承载力动态分析

鞍山市是我国重要的矿业城市,也是我国最大的钢铁生产基地之一,研究其生态承载力状况并预测其发展趋势,可为鞍山市可持续发展提供决策依据。基于矿业城市独特的生态系统内涵,建立了鞍山市生态承载力评价指标体系,运用熵值理论为基础的综合评判法,评价了"十五"期间鞍山市生态承载力状况,探讨了2010年鞍山市生态承载力变化趋势。结果表明:"十五"期间,鞍山市综合生态承载力处于临界安全状态,整体上呈现增长趋势,但经济压力、资源压力和生态健康等指标发展水平仍较低。生态承载力从超载逐渐转变为盈余状态,系统间协调度不断提高。按照鞍山市总体规划水平预测,2010年鞍山市综合生态承载力达到较安全状态,各指标没有低于临界安全的;生态承载力承载度和协调度进一步提高。运用综合评判法较客观地反映了鞍山市"十五"期间生态承载力状况,并进行了相对可靠的预测,可为其他地区生态承载力研究提供一定的借鉴。     

生命周期视角下2种餐厨垃圾资源化处理方案的对比分析

以唐山和厦门2处餐厨垃圾处理厂为例,利用Simapro软件中IMPACT2002+方法对2种不同餐厨垃圾处理模式作特征化、标准化以及归一化分析。同时,针对不同处理模式的经济效益开展评价。结果表明:案例1（唐山）在水生生态毒性、非可再生资源、陆地生态毒性等13个中点指标环境影响结果占优;案例1（唐山）与案例2（厦门）的总环境影响潜值分别为-26,22.7mpt。因此,案例1的环境效益占优;案例1比案例2的投资回收期更短,经济效益更佳。     

Sustainable development indicators: how are they used in Swedish water utilities?

Since the late 1990s, increased attention has been given to the role of organizations in implementing sustainable development, where sustainable development indicators (SDIs) are frequently recommended as useful tools. Due to limited knowledge on the application of SDIs in Swedish water utilities, a series of field studies were carried out in order to find out whether and how SDIs are applied. Concurrently, a literature survey was performed concerning the current use of SDIs in organizations in general. Both studies show that SDIs are frequently used in reporting, but not in planning and decision making, and hence may not contribute substantially to sustainable development.     

The pollution release and transfer register system in the U.S. and Japan: an analysis of productivity

This study analyzes Total Factor Productivity (TFP), which includes all categories of productivity. Our measure investigates productivity in the context of the provision and dissemination of environmental information policies. We investigated data on the emission of toxic chemical substances for the U.S. and Japanese manufacturing firms, including 386 firms for the period 1999-2007 and 466 firms for the period 2001-2008. The results show that productivity improved in all nine industrial sectors and that pollution levels were high in the U.S. and Japan from 2001 to 2007. In particular, the electronics industry improved rapidly after 2002 in both countries, which may be attributed to the enforcement of RoHS and the REACH directive in Europe. As a result of these stringent policies on toxic chemical emissions, the U.S. and Japanese firms, many of which export to the European market, have strong incentives to reduce their toxic chemical emissions.     

厦门市生态足迹动态分析

生态足迹（ecological footprint,EF）方法是一种衡量自然资源可持续利用的生物物理定量评价工具,能够反映出一个区域在一段时期内的可持续发展过程及其影响因子。文章基于生态足迹的理论模型,以恒定世界产量为前提,分析了厦门市1997年-2005年的生态足迹动态变化。结果表明,在这期间厦门市的人均生态足迹超过了人均生态承载力,并且两者之差（即生态赤字）不断增加。此外,通过分析总结了影响厦门市生态足迹以及生态赤字的关键性因子,这为厦门市的可持续发展决策提供了支持和依据。     

太钢“十一五”污染减排工作

近几年,我国钢铁工业发展很快,但是,钢铁产业长期粗放发展积累的矛盾日益突出。除了产能过剩、产业集中度低、创新能力不强、资源控制力弱等问题外,更为突出的矛盾是钢厂的发展越来越受到环境容量、能源资源等因素的严重制约。如何颠覆传统的"高耗能、高污染"发展方式,走出一条钢厂和谐发展的绿色之路,是实现可持续发展所面临的重大难题。     

Environmental response indicators for the industrial and energy sector in Flanders

Environmental reporting with quantitative indicators is becoming popular worldwide. However, environmental response indicators, which describe the reaction of societal actors to environmental problems and to government policy, still remain under investigation. This paper describes the collection of potential response indicators for the industry and energy sectors in Flanders, the quality assessment, and the identification of a core set of suitable response indicators. The selected core set consists of four indicators: eco-efficiency (a mainstream indicator for decades), the presence of an environmental management system, the amount of environmental expenditures and the use of sustainable energy. This core set is applied to the Flemish situation in order to assess the environmental performance of the industry and energy sectors. The core set allows identification of areas where the industry and energy sectors are performing better than other sectors, as well as areas where additional efforts are needed.     

Comparison of sustainability issues in two sensitive areas of China

After 30 years of economic reform since opening to the outside world in 1978, China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has increased by 150% over the past 15 years. The sustainability of such intense economic activity has been questioned from the perspectives of the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of sustainability. In this study, we assessed the spatial and temporal trends in sustainable development in two sensitive agricultural areas of China: Dezhou district, a well-developed region, and Guyuan district, an underdeveloped region. We used the pressure–state–response (PSR) model and a participatory approach that involved local experts to select and evaluate 27 area-specific indicators, then calculated changes in their values from 1985 to 2002. We aggregated these indicators into dimension- and PSR-specific indices to assess the sustainability of development in both regions. There two regions differed greatly in sustainability, but the current status of sustainable development raises concerns in both areas, especially from the perspective of balancing the three dimensions of sustainability. In 2002, Dezhou district performed well economically, with an index value of 0.78 (where 1.0 = sustainable), followed by environmental and social sustainability (both with index values of 0.48). All three indices have increased since 1985 (by 0.17, 0.25, and 0.13, respectively). In Guyuan district, environmental sustainability was highest (with an index value of 0.73), followed by economic and social sustainability (values of 0.55 and 0.37, respectively), but economic sustainability has decreased by 0.04 since 1985, whereas environmental and social sustainability increased by 0.18 and 0.12, respectively. To promote sustainable regional development, development priorities should be determined by considering both the regional and temporal variation in the three sustainability indices.     

可持续发展战略与上海“十五”计划编制的研究

“十五”计划是上海市进入21世纪的第1个5年计划,从提升自身发展质量和国际综合竞争能力的要求分析了将可持续发展战略纳入上海“十五”计划编制工作的必要性和重要性,围绕思想创新、目标创新、框架创新、指标创新等4个方面探讨了以可持续发展为定位的上海“十五”计划编制思路。     

可持续发展的教育评价体系的构建

可持续发展教育评价是可持续发展教育的重要组成部分,是推动可持续发展教育规范化的保证。中国关于学生的可持续发展教育评价机制并不太完善,本文通过确定评价指标的科学依据和设置基本原则,构建对学生的可持续发展教育的评价体系,包括环境指标、社会指标和学分指标三类指标,并对此评价体系进行综合评判。     

氟化工行业循环经济模式构建研究

氟化工是化工行业中发展最快、最具高新技术和最有前景的行业之一。如何使该行业持续健康发展,走循环经济是其根本出路。文章中论述了氟化工企业目前存在的主要问题,提出了氟化工企业实施循环经济的基本途径,并以青海某氟化工企业为实例,论述了该氟化工企业从延长产业链、采用清洁生产工艺、能源回收利用、水资源利用、固废资源综合利用、工艺尾气资源利用等方面构建循环经济模式,为同类型氟化工企业循环经济建设提供参考。     

A methodology for CSR reporting: assuring a representative diversity of indicators across stakeholders,scales, sites and performance issues

This paper presents a framework called the CSR Deliberation Matrix for the structuring of CSR issue identification, stakeholder dialogues, indicator selection and reporting, with an overarching goal to achieve an appropriate balance between sensitivity to individual situations and the benefits of “generic” indicators applicable to a large spectrum of reporting contexts.We suggest guidelines to (1) define the full spectrum of sustainability concerns and of relevant stakeholder dialogue contexts; (2) mobilise a relevant “data bank” which provides a profile of candidate CSR indicators; (3) obtain a parsimonious selection of indicators in a site-level CSR reporting process through a stakeholder dialogue; and (4) obtain a “representative diversity” of indicators at the interface of site-level and higher-level CSR reporting contexts.