美国清洁能源的成本和效益

将从分析美国新能源战略的有效性和成本入手,梳理和评估美国政府的新能源方案,同时提出一些关于清洁能源的建议。选择了美国推广清洁能源行为作为对象来讨论,不仅因为美国是世界上最大的清洁能源和可再生能源的投资者,同时还强调美国在运行这一投资的时候并没有使用自由市场来推动,而是完全由政府买单和控制。具体要讨论的方案是：核清理;低收入家庭房屋保暖;先进的汽车电池（牵引）系统及组件;电动汽车补贴退税制度。通过对每个方案内容的阐述和成本、效益的分析,来评估这些方案是否是有价值的和值得继续的。最后的结论可以归纳为这些清洁能源实施项目非常低效,并且提出一系列的证据表明这些项目在没有政府巨额经费支持的情况下是无法继续的,同时表明在没有严格的项目完成日期、持续发生超过预算的额外支出的情况下,政府的支持计划很可能和初衷背道而驰     

CO_2 Emissions Embodied in China-U.S.Trade

After the Kyoto Protocol was implemented, carbon leakage exerts great influences on international trade and economy. Trade creates a mechanism for consumers to shift environmental pollution associated with their consumption to other countries. China has overtaken the U.S. as the world＇s biggest CO2 emitter since 2006. As China＇s second largest trade partner, the U.S. has the biggest trade deficit with China which has aroused a lot of disputes between the two parties. But so far the assessments of the trade imbalance of China-U.S. have paid little attention to environmental impacts associated with the trade imbalance. Applied an input-output approach, the article estimates the amount of CO2 embodied in China-U.S. trade during 1997-2007. It was found that through trade with China, the U.S. reduced its CO2 emissions compared with a non-trade scenario. Due to the greater carbon-intensity and relatively less efficient production processes of Chinese industry, China-U.S. trade resulted in more CO2 emissions in China and the world. In the end, the article gives some suggestions： it is equal and sustainable that the international accounting methodologies should be improved, for CO2 emissions responsibility must be designed to account for the dynamic nature of international trade.     

Watershed development in India. 1. Biophysical and societal impacts

This paper recommends a revision of watershed development policy in India in relation to the planning of development interventions involving agricultural intensification and rainwater harvesting following biophysical and societal impact studies carried out on two watershed development projects in Karnataka. A need for changes in policy has arisen in response to progressive catchments closure at the basin level and declining volumes of water flowing into village level reservoirs (known locally as tanks). Flow reductions have occurred largely as a result of increased agricultural intensification over the past 10–15 years. Field levelling, field bund construction, soil water conservation measures, farm ponds, the increase in areas under horticulture and forestry and the increased abstraction and use of groundwater for irrigation are all contributing factors to reduced flows. Planning methodologies and approaches, which may have been appropriate 20 years ago for planning water harvesting within watershed development projects, are no longer appropriate today. New planning approaches are required which (1) take account of these changed flow conditions and (2) are also able to take account of externalities, which occur when actions of some affect the livelihoods of others who have no control or influence over such activities and which (3) contribute to the maintenance of agreed minimum downstream flows for environmental and other purposes.

Radioactive contamination from medical uses and recent regulatory activity in the U.S.A.

Recent publications relating to environmental radioactive contamination from medical uses are described. It appears that the unprecented growth of medical uses of radionuclide continues in the United States; hospital effluents are not a measurement problem; and the regulatory climate is uncertain. The major need, appears to be in the reduction or control of medical radiation exposure to the patient from diagnosis and therapy.