吴晓青强调：抓住机遇,努力开创环保科技工作新局面——全国环保科技工作会议在江苏苏州召开

针对能源资源节约和生态环境保护,胡锦涛同志在十七大报告中强调要开发和推广节约、替代、循环利用和治理污染的先进适用技术,发展清洁能源和可再生能源;在今年两会政府工作报告中,温家宝同志再次强调开放和推广节约、替代等先进适用技术,并着重要求实施节能减排重大技术和示范工程建设;在国务院最近公布的《国务院2008年工作要点》中要求发展改革委和环境保护部共同牵头加大节能减排和环境保护力度,在原来的基础上加大力度开发风能、太阳能等清洁、可再生能源,大力发展节能服务产业和环保产业。在全国上下高度重视环保的背景下,环境保护部召开了全国环保科技工作会议,意义重大,为今后环保工作提供强有力的技术支撑做好保障。     

创模进行时以减排创模范城市

当前,我国节能减排任务相当艰巨,创建国家环保模范城市必须紧紧围绕节能减排这一中心任务来抓。创模是政府的自愿行为,创模可以作为推动地方政府抓好节能减排工作的一项激励性的环保政策。     

节能减排进社区之节水篇

在现实生活中,说到保护环境、节能减排,人人都会觉得它重要,但在实际的生活当中,人们却又不知如何为节能减排贡献自己的一份力量。因此,从本期开始绿色社区栏目以”节能减排进社区“为主题;以提高社区和家庭的环保意识、普及社区和家庭节能减排知识为目的,进行系列报道,让每一位公民都知道在日常生活中如何做到节能减排。众人拾柴火焰高,如果每一位公民都能担负起节能环保的义务;每一个家庭都能自觉地形成节能环保的生活方式……我们相信我们的生活会更加和谐、更加美好!     

“全民环境教育·节能减排”高层研讨会在北京举行

12月6习,“全民环境教育·节能减排”高层研讨会在北京举行,来自国家环保部和各级环保系统、地方环保宣教中心、环保企业、北京各高校环保社团代表近百人出席。本次研讨会由中国环境科学出版社主办,《环境教育》杂志社承办。会议认为,要将节能减排理念由政府宏观决策逐步分解深入浅出的传输到企业和百姓身边,以污染减排为重点,面向社会多角度、多层次地宣传节能减排工作,以此提高公众环境意识和环境科学知识水平,逐步形成人人参与、关心、支持节能减排、参与环境保护行动的积极氛围。     

福建省开展2008年度环境保护与节能减排宣传月活动

为进一步加大福建省环保工作宣传力度,积极开展污染减排工作宣传,推进污染减排进程,大力宣传国家和地方促进环境保护和节能减排的有关政策,普及环保基本知识,弘扬典型,增强企业环保责任。根据省政府领导的有关指示精神,福建省环保局联合有关部门于11月初开始在全省范围内开展了以“普及环保知识推进污染减排保护生态环境”为主题的福建省2008年度环境保护与节能减排宣传月活动。这是福建省开展的第一次有关环境保护与节能减排的宣传月活动。省局于11月8日在福州举行宣传月活动启动仪式,通过召开新闻通气会,     

中小学建设节能环保型校园之我见

节能减排是深入贯彻落实党的十七大精神,实现经济可持续发展的基本要求。开展节能减排、保护环境,建设生态文明城市活动和我们青少年密切相关,也是我们青少年学生必须做到的事隋,因此努力建设“节能环保型学校”,提高广大师生的环境保护意识,引导师生做环保的宣传员、绿化校园的美容师,养成良好的环保道德意识和行为习惯,使师生从自身做起,从小事做起,养成环保节约习惯,促进学校更决更好发展非常有必要。     

湖北启动年度节能减捧先进表彰活动

为表彰对节能减排环保工作作出突出贡献的先进典型,促进全社会牢固树立生态文明观念,湖北省委宣传部、省环保局等多部门日前联合启动了2008年“十大节能减排行动环保年度人物”和“十大节能减排行动环保创新单位”表彰评比活动。评选采取自上而下、政府及相关部门推荐与社会推荐相结合等方式,进行初审、复审、公示、投票、实地考察和终审。为扩大宣传效果,《湖北环保风云》栏目、有关新闻媒体等将对活动评选情况进行跟踪报道,开辟专栏或专题对候选人先进事迹进行集中宣传报道。     

公众参与,有效监督——环保NGO看减排

节能减排是全社会的事情,公众参与度在一定程度上也决定了节能减排的成效。让我们来听听环保NGO的声音——记者:作为我国最早的民间环保组织,一直致力于我国的环保事业。作为终端的消费者,每一个人的衣食住行都跟节能减排息息相关,请您就百姓在日     

节能减排百万青少年行动启动

6月3日,湖南岳阳市环保志愿者协会联合市教育局,在市区举行“节能减排百万青少年行动”启动仪式。为了呼应今年“六五”纪念活动的世界主题和中国主题,岳阳市环保志愿者协会会同市教育局确定,在全市100万在校青少年中开展：“践行《全民节能减排手册》我能行”主题行动。为此,该协会自筹资金16万元,翻印了《全民节能减排手册》50万册,免费发至全市各级各类学校、各机关单位及媒体等。以通过一名学生带动一个家庭的方式,50万册《手册》将覆盖50Zi）~家庭,拉动至少20呖师生家长及社会公众参与日常生活行为的节能减排。     

数字

3万亿国务院日前下发《"十二五"节能减排综合性工作方案》,中国下达节能减排硬指标3万亿市场空间打开。市场的目光再次聚焦到节能环保领域,3万亿"盛宴"正式开启。作为经济结构调整、产业升级和社会转型的重中之重,未来5年,我国节能减排的力度更大、     

Conversion of temperate forests into heaths: Role of ecosystem disturbance and ericaceous plants

Fire and logging in nutrient-poor temperate forests with certain ericaceous understory plants may convert the forests into heaths. The process of disturbance-induced heath formation is documented by using examples ofCalluna in western Europe,Kalmia in Newfoundland, andGaultheria (salal) in coastal British Columbia. In a cool, temperate climate, rapid vegetative growth ofCalluna, Kalmia, and salal following disturbance results in increasing organic accumulation (paludification), nutrient sequestration, soil acidification, and allelochemicals. These are thought to be the main reasons to conifer regeneration failure in disturbed habitats. If continuation in forest is a land-use objective, then temperate forests with an ericaceous understory should not be logged unless effective silvicultural methods are devised to control the ericaceous plants and restore forest regeneration. Preharvest vegetation control may be considered as an option. Failure to control the understory plants may lead to a long-term vegetation shift, from forest to heathland, particularly in nutrient-poor sites. Successful methods of controllingKalmia andGaultheria, however, have yet to be developed. While theKalmia- andGaultheria- dominated heathlands are undesirable in Canada and the Pacific Northwest, a wide range ofCalluna heathlands of western Europe are being conserved as natural and seminatural vegetation.     

Urban ecological systems: scientific foundations and a decade of progress

Urban ecological studies, including focus on cities, suburbs, and exurbs, while having deep roots in the early to mid 20th century, have burgeoned in the last several decades. We use the state factor approach to highlight the role of important aspects of climate, substrate, organisms, relief, and time in differentiating urban from non-urban areas, and for determining heterogeneity within spatially extensive metropolitan areas. In addition to reviewing key findings relevant to each state factor, we note the emergence of tentative "urban syndromes" concerning soils, streams, wildlife and plants, and homogenization of certain ecosystem functions, such as soil organic carbon dynamics. We note the utility of the ecosystem approach, the human ecosystem framework, and watersheds as integrative tools to tie information about multiple state factors together. The organismal component of urban complexes includes the social organization of the human population, and we review key modes by which human populations within urban areas are differentiated, and how such differentiation affects environmentally relevant actions. Emerging syntheses in land change science and ecological urban design are also summarized. The multifaceted frameworks and the growing urban knowledge base do however identify some pressing research needs.     

Neighbourhood characteristics and urban gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area: staffing and voluntarism,food production,infrastructure, and sustainability practices

Urban gardens are important sources of sustenance for communities with limited access to food. Hence, this study focuses on food production in gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area in Northwest Ohio. We administered surveys to 150 garden managers from November 2014 to February 2015 in our attempt to better understand how neighbourhood racial composition and poverty levels are related to staffing and voluntarism, food production and distribution, the development of infrastructure, and the adoption of sustainability practices in urban gardens. The results from 30 gardens are presented in this paper. We used Geographic Information Systems to map the gardens and overlay the map with 2010 census data so that we could conduct demographic analyses of the neighbourhoods in which the gardens were located. Though the gardens were small – two acres or less – up to 46 varieties of food were grown in a single garden. Gardens also operated on small budgets. Food from the gardens was gifted or shared with friends, family, and neighbourhood residents. Gardens in predominantly minority neighbourhoods tended to have fewer institutional partners, less garden infrastructure, and had adopted fewer sustainable practices than gardens in predominantly White neighbourhoods. Nonetheless, residents of predominantly minority and high-poverty neighbourhoods participated in garden activities and influenced garden operations. Volunteering and staffing were racialised and gendered.     

Predicting deer-vehicle collisions in an urban area

Collisions with deer and other large animals are increasing, and the resulting economic costs and risks to public safety have made mitigation measures a priority for both city and wildlife managers. We created landscape models to describe and predict deer-vehicle collision (DVCs) within the City of Edmonton, Alberta. Models based on roadside characteristics revealed that DVCs occurred frequently where roadside vegetation was both denser and more diverse, and that DVCs were more likely to occur when the groomed width of roadside right-of-ways was smaller. No DVCs occurred where the width of the vegetation-free or manicured roadside buffer was greater than 40 m. Landscape-based models showed that DVCs were more likely in more heterogeneous landscapes where road densities were lower and speed limits were higher, and where non-forested vegetation such as farmland was in closer proximity to larger tracts of forest. These models can help wildlife and transportation managers to identify locations of high collision frequency for mitigation. Modifying certain landscape and roadside habitats can be an effective way to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.     

Surface applied water treatment residuals affect bioavailable phosphorus losses in Florida sands

Water treatment residuals (WTR) can reduce runoff P loss and surface co-application of P-sources and WTR is a practical way of land applying the residuals. In a rainfall simulation study, we evaluated the effects of surface co-applied P-sources and an Al-WTR on runoff and leacheate bioavailable P (BAP) losses from a Florida sand. Four P-sources, namely poultry manure, Boca Raton biosolids (high water-soluble P), Pompano biosolids (moderate water-soluble P), and triple super phosphate (TSP) were surface applied at 56 and 224kgPha(-1) (by weight) to represent low and high soil P loads typical of P- and N-based amendments rates. The treatments further received surface applied WTR at 0 or 10gWTRkg(-1) soil. BAP loss masses were greater in leachate (16.4-536mg) than in runoff (0.91-46mg), but were reduced in runoff and leachate by surface applied WTR. Masses of total BAP lost in the presence of surface applied WTR were less than approximately 75% of BAP losses in the absence of WTR. Total BAP losses from each of the organic sources applied at N-based rates were not greater than P loss from TSP applied at a P-based rate. The BAP loss at the N-based rate of moderate water-soluble P-source (Pompano biosolids) was not greater than BAP losses at the P-based rates of other organic sources tested. The hazards of excess P from applying organic P-sources at N-based rates are not greater than observed at P-based rates of mineral fertilizer. Results suggest that management of the environmental P hazards associated with N-based rates of organic materials in Florida sands is possible by either applying P-sources with WTR or using a moderate water-soluble P-source.     

Animal Consciousness and Ethics in Asia and the Pacific

The interactions between humans, animals and the environment have shaped human values and ethics, not only the genes that we are made of. The animal rights movement challenges human beings to reconsider interactions between humans and other animals, and maybe connected to the environmental movement that begs us to recognize the fact that there are symbiotic relationships between humans and all other organisms. The first part of this paper looks at types of bioethics, the implications of autonomy and the value of being alive. Then the level of consciousness of these relationships are explored in survey results from Asia and the Pacific, especially in the 1993 International Bioethics Survey conducted in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, The Philippines, Russia, Singapore and Thailand. Very few mentioned animal consciousness in the survey, but there were more biocentric comments in Australia and Japan; and more comments with the idea of harmony including humans in Thailand. Comparisons between questions and surveys will also be made, in an attempt to describe what people imagine animal consciousness to be, and whether this relates to human ethics of the relationships. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Rehabilitation and Flood Management Planning in a Steep,Boulder-Bedded Stream

This study demonstrates the integration of rehabilitation and flood management planning in a steep, boulder-bedded stream in a coastal urban catchment on the South Island of New Zealand. The Water of Leith, the primary stream flowing through the city of Dunedin, is used as a case study. The catchment is steep, with a short time of concentration and rapid hydrologic response, and the lower stream reaches are highly channelized with floodplain encroachment, a high potential for debris flows, significant flood risks, and severely degraded aquatic habitat. Because the objectives for rehabilitation and flood management in urban catchments are often conflicting, a number of types of analyses at both the catchment and the reach scales and careful planning with stakeholder consultation were needed for successful rehabilitation efforts. This included modeling and analysis of catchment hydrology, fluvial geomorphologic assessment, analysis of water quality and aquatic ecology, hydraulic modeling and flood risk evaluation, detailed feasibility studies, and preliminary design to optimize multiple rehabilitation and flood management objectives. The study showed that all of these analyses were needed for integrated rehabilitation and flood management and that some incremental improvements in stream ecological health, aesthetics, and public recreational opportunities could be achieved in this challenging environment. These methods should be considered in a range of types of stream rehabilitation projects.     

AN INDEX FOR MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WITH AN APPLICATION1

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a statistically valid index for measuring the performance of irrigation systems. The index is applied to a sample of 39 farms on a watercourse under the warabandi system of irrigation management in India. It is found that while the farmers in fact irrigated almost exactly the total amount of irrigated area as designed, inter-farm variations were considerable. The index shows that the degree of error of managerial effectiveness of irrigation on this watercourse is 20 percent. Therefore it is concluded that the system is performing at 80 percent effectiveness.     

WATER LOSS EQUATIONS AND COEFFICIENTS TO ESTIMATE RUNOFF FROM RAINFALL1

Infiltration models are based on physical characteristics of the soil and initial soil moisture. For a given soil it is based on the initial soil moisture distribution. A computer simulation model for flood runoff systems (FH-Model) was used to analyze 39 sets of rainfall-runoff data on four small watersheds ranging in size from 17 to 342 square kilometers located in the Yamaska River basin in Quebec. From these analyses, parameters and coefficients have been determined for a water loss (infiltration) equation. A method for determining the loss parameters, using a nonlinear least square curve fitting technique, is presented. Expressions were made to relate the loss parameters to antecedent precipitation. The equations were tested on 11 storm rainfall and runoff events on a watershed located in the same region and close agreements were found.     

Vegetation dynamics in impounded marshes along the Indian River Lagoon,Florida, USA

Data are presented on the vegetation dynamics of two impounded marshes along the Indian River Lagoon, in east-central Florida, USA. Vegetation in one of the marshes (IRC 12) was totally eliminated by overflooding and by hypersaline conditions (salinities over 100 ppt) that developed there in 1979 after the culvert connecting the marsh with the lagoon was closed. Over 20% recovery of the herbaceous halophytesSalicornia virginica, S. bigelovii, andBatis maritima was observed at that site after the culvert was reopened in 1982, but total cover in the marsh remains well below the original 75%. No recovery of mangroves was observed at this site. The second site (SLC 24), while remaining isolated from the lagoon during much of the study, did not suffer the complete elimination of vegetation experienced at the first site. At this location, mangroves increased in cover and frequency with a concomitant decrease in herbaceous halophytes. Considerable damage to the vegetation was evident at IRC 12 when the impoundment was closed and flooded for mosquito control in 1986. Although the damage was temporary, its occurrence emphasizes the need of planning and constant monitoring and adjustment of management details as conditions within particular marshes change. Storms and hurricanes may be important in promoting a replacement of black mangroves by red mangroves in closed impoundments because the former cannot tolerate pneumatophore submergence for long periods of time. University of Florida-IFAS Journal Series R-00521.