Misdefining “climate change”: consequences for science and action

The restricted definition of “climate change” used by the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) has profoundly affected the science, politics, and policy processes associated with the international response to the climate issue. Specifically, the FCCC definition has contributed to the gridlock and ineffectiveness of the global response to the challenge of climate change. This paper argues that the consequences of misdefining “climate change” create a bias against adaptation policies and set the stage for the politicization of climate science. The paper discusses options for bringing science, policy and politics in line with a more appropriate definition of climate change such as the more comprehensive perspective used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.     

Sheepfolds as “hotspots” of nitric oxide (NO) emission in an Inner Mongolian steppe

We investigated nitric oxide (NO) fluxes at a summer and a winter sheepfold in the Baiyinxile livestock farm, near Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia, which are a typical feature of the regional husbandry. Using a manual static opaque chamber/chemiluminescence measuring system, we intermittently observed fluxes in the summer sheepfold between May 28th and September 26th 2005 and in both winter and summer sheepfolds between March 8th and October 18th 2006. During these periods, mean NO emissions (±S.E., in terms of mass of nitrogen) were 124.0 ± 28.7, 134.6 ± 23.3 (summer sheepfold) and 214.4 ± 79.6 μg NO–N m⁻² h⁻¹ (winter sheepfold), respectively, and thus, three magnitudes higher than observed steppe NO emissions in the same region. The NO fluxes were not significantly different between the 2 years, but in summer they were much higher than in spring (p < 0.05). Temperature and moisture of the faeces layer significantly regulated the NO fluxes (p < 0.01). The direct NO emission factor (EF) for faeces and urine excreted in the sheepfolds was 0.7 g NO–N_emitted kg⁻¹ N_excreted, which was almost 37 times lower than a recently reported N₂O EF. We estimated the total NO emission from the sheepfolds of the Baiyinxile livestock farm to be 1.82 ± 0.43 tons NO–N year⁻¹, which accounts to approximately 12.3% of the total NO emission from this steppe region. With the rapid increase of livestock numbers, sheepfold NO emissions may further increase and contribute to high N deposition in confined areas around sheepfolds.     

台风“杜鹃”降水δ18O的云雨区效应初探

我国东南地区台风降水显著,但对这种强降水事件中的稳定同位素研究较少,限制了对短时间极端降水稳定同位素变化过程和影响因素的认识。论文根据2015年9月28日至29日第21号台风“杜鹃”两次登陆（台湾宜兰、福建莆田）前后台北、福州两地气象数据和降水稳定同位素数据,分析了此次台风的降水稳定同位素变化特征及影响因素。台风期间,两地降水δ¹⁸O波动范围为-3.4‰~-15.0‰,变化幅度达11.6‰。台风前端和尾端两地降水同位素值相对偏正,平均值为-4‰~-6‰而台风中端两地降水同位素值极其偏负,平均值分别为-12.4‰和 -13.2‰。台风前端与尾端降水同位素值偏正,水汽受蒸发效应影响明显;而台风中端降水δ¹⁸O值极端偏负主要受“云雨区效应”的影响,即云雨区气流急剧上升,水汽在过饱和环境中快速凝结降落,受动力分馏作用小,降水δ¹⁸O极端偏负。结合降水δ¹⁸O变化特征、过量氘及模拟水汽轨迹,得到台风“杜鹃”降水主要的水汽来源为西太平洋海域。     

Regional eco-efficiency indicators – a participatory approach

Eco-efficiency emerged in the 1990s as a measure of “the efficiency with which ecological resources are used to meet human needs.” Eco-efficiency indicators as tools for regional sustainability policy were demonstrated in a Life-Environment project, ECOREG, in the Finnish region of Kymenlaakso. A participatory approach was utilised to produce indicators that are relevant for regional decision-makers and that will actually be used. The approach established a system through which decision-makers are able to monitor changes using several economic-environmental ratio indicators, and at the same time obtain information on the social progress taking place in the region. In the future, there will be a need for an ongoing dialogue among the different actors in the region in order to ensure that the indicators are indeed used to promote sustainable development.     

横加公司诉美国政府案对我国应对环境邻避冲突的法律启示

美国对邻避冲突现象的关注和研究较早,2015年刚被时任总统奥巴马否决的加拿大横加公司(Trans Canada Corp)"拱心石XL管道"(Keystone XL Pipeline)项目,是一起引发大规模邻避冲突的典型案例。本文介绍了"拱心石XL管道"项目的概况,分析了项目激起邻避冲突的原因,以及俄克拉荷马州政府和联邦政府在对待"拱心石XL管道"项目上的迥异态度。据此得出对我国应对环境邻避冲突的法律启示:跨区域公共项目在央地层面应保持一致、从项目选址的地方立法寻求突破、加大环境影响评价报告等信息公开力度、强化示范项目建设及规范企业行为。     

A strategic design approach to develop sustainable product service systems: examples taken from the ‘environmentally friendly innovation’ Italian prize

The product service systems’ (PSS) sustainability potential is described in the framework of the new types of stakeholder relationships and/or partnerships, producing new convergence of economic interests, and a potential concomitant systemic resources optimization.In this perspective, it is argued that the design competencies should move towards those of the ‘strategic design’, thus introducing the concept of ‘strategic design for sustainability’: the design of an innovation strategy, shifting the business focus from designing (and selling) physical products only, to designing (and selling) a system of products and services which are jointly capable of fulfilling specific client demands, while re-orienting current unsustainable trends in production and consumption practices.Some examples of PSS are presented and discussed using the PSS categories ‘services providing added value to the product life cycle’, ‘services providing final results to customers’, and ‘services providing enabling platforms for customers’. The cases derive from an analysis of the ‘environmental friendly innovation’ yearly endowed prize submissions. The Politecnico di Milano University together with the Bocconi University and Legambiente (an environmental NGO) promotes the initiative in Italy.     

Leaching of nitrogen in Swedish agriculture — a historical perspective

There is a need to examine long-term changes in nitrogen leaching from arable soils. The purpose of this study was to analyse variations in specific leaching rates (kg ha⁻¹ per year) and gross load (Mg per year) of N from arable land to watercourses in Sweden from a historical perspective. The start of the study was set to 1865 because information on crop distribution, yield and livestock has been compiled yearly since then. The SOIL/SOILN model was used to calculate nitrogen leaching. Calculations were done for cereals, grass and bare fallow for three different soil types in nine agricultural regions covering a range of climatic conditions. Results indicate that both specific leaching rates and gross load of nitrogen in the middle of 19th century were approximately the same as they are today for the whole of south and central Sweden. Three main explanations for this were (1) large areas of bare fallow typical for the farming practice at the time; (2) enhanced mineralisation from newly cultivated land; and (3) low yield . From 1865, i.e. the start of the calculations, N leaching rates decreased and were at their lowest around 1930. During the same period, gross load was also at its lowest despite the fact that the acreage of arable land was at its most extensive. After 1930, average leaching increased by 60% and gross load by 30%, both reaching a peak in the mid-1970s to be followed by a declining trend. The greatest increase in leaching was in regions where the increase in animal density was largest and these regions were also those where the natural conditions for leaching such as mild winters and coarse-textured soils were found. Extensive draining projects occurred during the period of investigation, in particular an intensive exploitation of lakes and wetlands. This caused a substantial drop in nitrogen retention and the probable increase in net load to the sea might thus have been more affected by this decrease in retention than the actual increase in gross load.     

Getting stakeholder participation ‘right’: a discussion of participatory processes and possible pitfalls

The planning step of an ecological risk assessment includes the largest role for public participation in the entire assessment, for it is here that the risk manager must ensure that the assessment will yield the information he needs to make a decision. This essay discusses some general characteristics of public participation in ecological risk assessments, including the ways in which different lifestyles may lead to the establishment of community specific management goals and hence of different endpoints; the type and nature of the input provided by the public to the risk assessment and the ways in which input from the public differs from input from the scientific community; and a discussion of definitions of stakeholders and participatory processes which emphasizes their contextual nature. The essay concludes with a review of some of the challenges facing a risk manager as he designs a participatory process. Six major areas are discussed, each incorporating suggestions that should reduce difficulties in implementation of such a process and increase the likelihood of acceptance of its outcome, and hence the overall quality of the risk assessment.     

自然资源资产负债表编制设计及应用Ⅱ：应用

根据作者在《自然资源资产负债表编制设计及应用Ⅰ：设计》中提出的自然资源资产负债表设计方案,论文以湖北省十堰市竹溪县为例,采用统计、市场价格法、替代市场法、意愿评估法等分别编制实物量表和价值量表,在此基础上分析自然资源变化与区域经济发展之间的关系。主要结论如下：1）竹溪县林木和特色资源总量呈逐年上升趋势;水资源中工业用水量逐年减少,工业用水效率不断提高,居民生活用水基本保持不变,城镇公共环境和生态环境用水逐年增加,农业发展受降水等自然条件影响较大,今后应进一步发展现代农业,提高农业用水效率。另外,土地资源有不断向建筑用地转变的趋势,未来竹溪县政府应控制建筑用地面积在合理范围内。2）竹溪县自然资源价值处于一个相对稳定的状态。4种资源中,土地资源价值量最高。人为因素对林木资源价值的影响值均为正值,且绝对值不断增加,人为因素对水资源价值的影响值为负值。3）随着竹溪县GDP增加,自然资源总量保持相对稳定,且每年人为原因对自然资源总价值的影响都是正效应。     

台风“麦德姆”福州降水δ18O特征及水汽来源分析

大气降水的氢氧同位素不仅在长时间尺度和短时间尺度上对气候环境有一定的响应,而且在极端天气事件中也响应强烈。论文基于2014年7月23—24日10号台风麦德姆登陆前后福州降水的氢氧稳定同位素分析,发现台风麦德姆降水的δ¹⁸O变化范围为-7.2‰~-15.4‰,整个降雨过程分为3个阶段：阶段1（23日3：00至23日12：00）,雨水δ¹⁸O相对偏正（加权平均值为-7.8‰）,降水开始增加,主要受台风外围环流的影响;阶段2（23日12：00至24日8：00）,雨水δ¹⁸O显著偏负（加权平均值为-13.9‰）,采样点降水量达134.8 mm,约占观测时段降水量的78%,降雨量效应明显,主要受台风云雨区影响;阶段3（24日8：00至24日17：00）,雨水δ¹⁸O偏正（加权平均值为-9.2‰）,降水减少,台风远离福州。通过降水δ¹⁸O的阶段性特征以及过量氘,结合水汽输送通量与HYSPLIT-4模拟水汽轨迹分析,确定此次降水的水汽源主要来自西北太平洋水汽通道与孟加拉湾和南海水汽通道。     

自然资源资产负债表编制设计及应用Ⅰ：设计

十八届三中全会提出“探索编制自然资源资产负债表,对领导干部进行自然资源资产离任审计”,这是我国在生态文明制度建设中的一项重大改革。自然资源资产负债表是表明一定期间内自然资源的存量以及存量变化情况的报表,论文在研究自然资源资产负债表概念内涵的基础上,分析自然资源资产负债表实物量和价值量核算方法,提出两者之间的换算表,最后研究自然资源资产负债表编制样式,提出设计方案,为自然资源资产负债表应用研究提供基础。     

Survey of willingness of residents to participate in electronic waste recycling in Nigeria – A case study of mobile phone recycling

Presently, large quantities of waste mobile phones are being generated in Nigeria with a significant proportion in storage. This paper investigated the behavior of consumers in Nigeria towards this waste stream and their willingness to participate in waste mobile phones recycling. This study also assessed the willingness of consumer's to pay for a more ‘environment friendlier’ phone – the so-called ‘green phone’. We performed a principal component analysis with varimax rotation in order to condense some of our questions into a smaller set of factors. We developed a model to estimate and explain the willingness to pay (WTP) a premium for ‘green’ cell phones. The model showed that the significant predictors of willingness to pay extra for green electronics include awareness and concern about the deteriorating environment, age, and the general attitude towards the environment. About 65% of the respondents are either ‘willing’ or ‘very willing’ to drop-off no-longer-in-use electronics at a nearby recycling facility. Majority of the respondents are also very willing to pay a premium for a green phone. Considering the increasing waste generation by this sector, it has become expedient that a recycling program be introduced for these potentially harmful waste materials.     

“雅安天漏”降水变化气候特征的分析

论文基于1951—2008年逐日降水资料和1969—2000年逐小时降水资料,应用统计诊断分析方法,研究了青藏高原东侧雅安降水量、降水频率的多时间尺度变化特征。结果表明：与整个四川省的降水变化一致,近58 a“雅安天漏”的年降水总量和年雨日是减少的,并且后者比前者减少得更加显著;降水量在20世纪90年代的显著减少是雨日和雨强变化共同影响的结果;除冬季外,春、夏、秋三季的降水量和雨日均呈减小趋势,其中秋季减少最明显;汛期降水量减少占年降水量减少量的92.7%,汛期雨日的减少比降水量显著,占年雨日减少的62.9%;21世纪初期后,“雅安天漏”强降水月份减少,雨日集中时段缩短;“雅安天漏”夜雨特征突出,夜间降水量和频次远远大于白天,呈单峰单谷结构,降水谷值到峰值增加速率是峰值到谷值衰减速率的2倍,易夜间形成强降水,具有明显持续性。进一步分析发现,雅安不仅夜雨量和发生频次减小,而且降水表现为峰值出现时间提前、向前半夜移动的变化特征。     

质疑：“红旗河”调水功能的可行性

据报道,“红旗河”方案确定的基本目标是由雅鲁藏布江、怒江、澜沧江、金沙江、雅砻江、大渡河调水600亿m³至新疆等干旱区,发展2亿亩农田（1亩=1/15 hm²）,建15万~20万km²绿带,以此彻底改善西北干旱区的生态与环境。“红旗河”通过上述河流的各调水点以上的年均径流量总和为1 444亿m³,占被调水河流总径流量的35%;“红旗河”计划年调水量约占可调水量1 444亿m³的42%。如果不考虑国际河流、调水口以下的水电站及工程的正常运行等因素,单纯就水资源而论,600亿m³总调水量是可行的。“红旗河”是跨流域调水的宏大设想,已经引起国内外的广泛关注,但这个宏大的设想也面临地质、技术、经济、社会、生态等领域的多重严峻挑战,存在极大的不确定性。特别是600亿m³的水能解决什么问题?在实施工程之前应该充分论证,采取有效措施防范和减轻这些风险带来的危害。从自然地理、资源环境和区域发展角度看,以下问题值得商榷：从主要受水区域新疆看,依据现有农田的净灌溉定额（大约600 m³/亩）,即使完全不考虑渠道（干渠及农田灌溉支渠）中途渗漏与水面蒸发,理论上最多发展1亿亩农田。同样,根据新疆为了维持塔里木河下游大海子水库以下的511 km²湿地所调用的水量估算,15万km²生态绿带建设每年至少需水1 100多亿 m³。600亿m³引水量既无法实现建造2亿亩农田的需要,也无法满足15万km²生态绿带的需要,二者同时实现更无可能。何况这600亿m³的水要经过6 000多km的长途跋涉,渗漏和蒸发非常大,最终能有多少水达到受水区?该项目计划建设期10 a、投资4万亿元,每亩农田（以2亿亩计算）2万元,每m³水费近66元。工程建成运行时,谁来为昂贵的水费买单?调水可能引起的环境影响和生态后果具有极大的不确定性,需要给予高度关注。如调入区是内流区,降水量小,蒸发量大,地形封闭,缺乏排水出路,环境条件特殊。大量引水,在灌溉不当的情况下,极易导致土壤次生盐渍化。跨流域调水工程不仅仅是一个复杂的水利工程,还是一个十分复杂的生态系统工程,更是一个十分复杂的社会经济工程。环境效应、生态后果和社会经济影响涉及复杂的地球物理、化学和生物过程,也涉及复杂的人地关系和谐平衡过程。“红旗河”同时涉及国际河流,潜在的地缘政治关系需要引起重视。在现有认识水平下,需要对这些问题进行深入系统研究,分析各系统之间的相互关系及影响规律,提出理性的评价系统和论证方案。此外,在“红旗河”的舆论造势中,还存在几个有悖科学认知的观点,如“改变中国气候格局”、“森林致水作用”、打破千百年来的“胡焕庸线”等。文章均进行了分析和澄清。