Economic assessment of the health effects related to particulate matter pollution in 111 Chinese cities by using economic burden of disease analysis

With China's rapid economic development, environmental problems have become more and more serious. Particulate air pollution is terrible in cities with large and dense population. It may lead to adverse health effects and economic costs. In this study, we calculated the health effects of pollution caused by particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less than 10mum (PM(10)) in 111 Chinese cities in 2004 according to statistical data and epidemiological exposure-response functions. Using economic burden of disease analysis, an economic assessment of these health risks was also presented. In contrast to many previous studies that have examined individual cities, this study covered most large and medium-sized cities in China, which accounted for more than 70% gross domestic product (GDP) of China in 2004. The total economic cost caused by PM(10) pollution was estimated as approximately US$ 29,178.7 million. Mega cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin contribute relatively more to the total costs. The results will help policy makers in formulating more effective countermeasures and increasing public awareness to enhance environmental protection.     

试论我国农业环境保护战略问题

我国是发展中的国家，农业在国民经济中占有十分重要的地位，环境污染和生态破坏是农业潜伏着的生态危机，也是农业发展过程中亟待解决的重大问题。如何从我国农业环境问题的特点和农业经济现状出发，制定出与农业经济发展相适应遥农业环境保护战略，是我国农业发展和环境保护工作中的一项重要任务。本文就我国农业环境保护的战略地位和作用、指导思想和方针、目标和重点、措施等一系列战略问题，进行初步探讨。     

Natural structure in the man-made environment

Summary The paper contains examples of design elements and natural symmetries that have appeared and are now being used in man-made works. The pleasing principles of symmetric structures have been shown in examples of architectural ornament, planning of towns and university campuses. These same symmetries are shown to give coherence to the growth of forms in nature. The paper further discusses how different artists have arrived at their particular choices of natural symmetries to be used whether in planning, architectural structures, town clusters or painting. Dr Arthur L. Loeb was born in The Netherlands and was educated at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, where he took a doctorate in Chemical Physics. Through his research contact with Gyorgy Kepes, M. C. Escher and R. Buckminster Fuller, he has been able to embrace the whole spectrum of design. He is a sculptor and painter, and has great interest in music. His 40 or so publications show his expertize as well as his exceptional ability in combining the compatible aspects of the arts and the sciences. His present position is Head Tutor at the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, and Curator of the Teaching Collection in the Carpenter Center, Harvard University.     

The classic environmental issue

Summary Environmental issues are rarely straightforward. The construction of the Tellico Dam not only proved to be an exceptionally complex environmental problem but also developed into a major political issue in its own right. Following the discovery of a previously unknown species of fish near the site of the nearly completed dam, environmentalists began a long legal battle to halt construction work and protect the habitat of the fish. The United States Supreme Court found in their favour, but local political interests, through a series of clever manoeuvres, succeeded in exempting the dam from all legislation to secure its completion. The blatant use of political expediency to resolve an environmental dilemma makes the Tellico Dam a classic case study for students of environmental policy and decision-making.Graham Bennett was born in London in 1948 and graduated from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia where he also completed his doctoral research. Since 1980 he has been working in The Netherlands as an Associate in the Department of Environmental Science at the Catholic University of Nijmegen. His research interests lie in the field of environmental management and he is currently involved in the study of environmental policy making in Britain and The Netherlands with particular reference to the control of pollution by local authorities.     

土壤环境质量研究的回顾和展望

土壤环境质量作为土壤质量的重要组成部分之一,是表征土壤容纳、吸收和降解各种环境污染物的能力。目前对土壤环境质量定义尚无统一的意见,陈怀满教授给出了土壤环境质量的参考定义,指出土壤环境质量是在一定的时间和空间范围内,土壤自身性状对其持续利用和其他环境要素,特别是对人类或其他生物的生存、繁衍以及社会经济发展的适宜性。本文从土壤污染、环境容量、污染物迁移转化、生态安全以及修复技术等角度回顾了国内外土壤环境质量的研究内容。对今后土壤环境质量的发展趋势进行了展望,指出土壤环境质量在我国的研究和应用还比较薄弱,在土壤持续污染物防治、土壤污染风险评价等方面急需加强。随着我国环境形势日益严峻,土壤环境污染机理及其防治也提上议事日程,土壤环境质量的研究和应用对于我国的农业安全、食品安全、生态安全都具有极为重要的理论和现实意义。     

Why the scientific revolution did not take place in China — or did it?

Summary In this study of early Chinese scientific thought and practice, the author examines the manner in which Chinese scientific and technical studies related to the rest of their thought, and how this impaired the mathematization of hypotheses about Nature, and therefore, the development of modern science in China. Taking as a starting point his study of the works of Shen Kua (1031–1095), the author, through a thorough-going critique of previous work on the Scientific Revolution problem which exposes its assumptions, fallacies and inadequacies, suggests that the initial heuristic question of the title has served its purpose and considers some of the factors that would need to be explored before a comparative history of scientific development can become a possibility.Dr N. Sivin is Professor of both Chinese Culture and the History of Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Much of the substance of this paper was given at a recent Edward H. Hume Lecture at Yale University.     

环境信息公开有助于我国的污染防治攻坚战吗？

环境信息公开作为信息化时代环境治理的新型武器,对我国这样一个具有特殊财政体制和政治激励模式的发展中国家而言,其在污染防治攻坚战中的效果有待深入探究。本文基于城市污染源监管信息公开指数(PITI),以2008—2016年120个城市数据为样本,采用动态面板数据模型和系统GMM估计方法,实证检验了环境信息公开的污染减排效应,并重点分析了不同城市区位和城市规模下存在的异质性效应。结果表明:环境信息公开有助于污染防治,改善环境质量,还能有效缓解财政分权引致的环境污染问题。环境信息公开对污染排放的抑制作用呈现“马太效应”,对东、中、西部地区和大、中、小城市的影响均依次递减。对东、中部地区和大、中型城市,其治污效应较显著,而在西部地区和小城市尚不见效。积极推动全面环境信息公开,构建环境多元共治的长效机制,是决胜污染防治攻坚战的关键所在。     

Assessing the ecosystem service of air pollutant removal by urban trees in Guangzhou (China)

In Chinese cities, air pollution has become a serious and aggravating environmental problem undermining the sustainability of urban ecosystems and the quality of urban life. Besides technical solutions to abate air pollution, urban vegetation is increasingly recognized as an alternative ameliorative method by removing some pollutants mainly through dry deposition process. This paper assesses the capability and monetary value of this ecosystem service in Guangzhou city in South China. The results indicated an annual removal of SO(2), NO(2) and total suspended particulates at about 312.03Mg, and the benefits were valued at RMB90.19 thousand (US$1.00=RMB8.26). More removal was realized by recreational land use due to a higher tree cover. Higher concentration of pollutants in the dry winter months induced more removal. The lower cost of pollution abatement in China generated a relatively subdued monetary value of this environmental benefit in comparison with developed countries. Younger districts with more extensive urban trees stripped more pollutants from the air, and this capacity was anticipated to increase further as their trees gradually reach final dimensions and establish a greater tree cover. Tree cover and pollutant concentration constitute the main factors in pollutant removal by urban trees. The efficiency of atmospheric cleansing by trees in congested Chinese cities could be improved by planting more trees other than shrubs or grass, diversifying species composition and biomass structure, and providing sound green space management. The implications for greenery design were discussed with a view to maximizing this ecosystem service in Chinese cities and other developing metropolises.     

Nonpoint source pollution, environmental quality, and ecosystem health in China: introduction to the special section

The rapid economic and industrial growth of China, exemplified by a 10-fold increase in its gross domestic product in the past 15 years, has lifted millions of its citizens out of poverty but has simultaneously led to severe environmental problems. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 2.4 million deaths in China per year could be attributed to degraded environmental quality. Much of China's soil, air, and water are polluted by xenobiotic contaminants, such as heavy metals and organic compounds. In addition, soil quality is degraded by erosion, desertification, and nutrient runoff. Air quality is further compromised by particulates, especially in heavily populated areas. Research shows that 80% of urban rivers in China are significantly polluted, and poor water quality is a key contributor to poverty in rural China. Economic and industrial growth has also greatly expanded the demand for water sources of appropriate quality; however, pollution has markedly diminished usable water resource quantity. Desertification and diminishing water resources threaten future food security. In recent years, China's government has increased efforts to reverse these trends and to improve ecosystem health. The Web of Science database showed that the percentage of articles on China devoting to environmental sciences increased dramatically in recent years. In addition, the top 25 institutes publishing the papers in environmental sciences were all in China. This special issue includes seven articles focusing on nonpoint source pollution, environmental quality, and ecosystem health in China. The major issues, and results of these studies, are discussed in this introduction.     

Urban air pollution and atmospheric diffusion research in China

Air pollution has become a serious problem in China as a result of that country's efforts in the last 30 years to become a great industrial power. The burning of coal, which currently provides over 70% of all China's energy needs, is a major source of air pollution. Because Chinese coal is high in sulfur and ash content and because most combustion devices in China have low efficiencies, SO₂ and particulate emissions are a serious problem and are comparable to or exceed those found in many countries that are much more industrialized. Although most coal is burned in North China, acid precipitation is most severe in South China because of the lack of buffering loess dust found in the former region.The Chinese government has already taken major steps to mitigate air pollution, such as relocating polluting industries, supplying coal with lower sulfur content, using gas instead of coal for residential heating, and levying fines on industries that exceed pollution standards. Atmospheric environmental impact assessment (AEIA) is also required for all major new projects. This article describes three types of mathematical diffusion models and field and wind-tunnel experiments that are used in such assessments.The Chinese authorities believe that a range of technological, managerial, locational, and behavioral changes must be effected before the air of Chinese cities can be significantly improved.     

National programs to protect genetic diversity — The US example

Summary A country which truly wishes to preserve the full range of genetic diversity with which it has been endowed must look beyond large biosphere reserves. It must inventory and protect individual species and habitat types in smaller preserves as well. The United States provides an example of a country which has a legacy of preserves. Much of the land that would be necessary for an effective preserve system has already been acquired, but basic information and coordination among agencies is lacking.Dr Francis Roy Thibodeau graduated in Environmental Sciences from Boston College. He later took his Masters in Urban, Social and Environmental Policy, and his Doctorate in Ecology and Environmental Policy, both degrees from Tufts University. His research interests are in the field of relationship between ecology and land use, especially as they influence the preservation of genetic diversity.     

Synergy,sigmoids and the seventh-year trifurcation

Summary Whereas linear and exponential growth have become relatively familiar metaphors, second-order growth processes, as exemplified by autocatalytic chemical reactions, have not yet entered the vernacular. Derek J. de Solla Price has discussed sigmoid growth, but described it as a three-phase process. It is shown here that these three phases are more apparent than real, with initial slow growth, intermediate rapid growth and ultimate saturation all characteristic of the same second-order process. A model, arrived at by the superposition of several sigmoid curves, is proposed for the periodic critical decision points which occur during the course of a career or the life time of an organization. These decision points correspond to a trifurcation, leading to renewed sigmoidal growth, saturation, or a rapid phase-out.Dr Arthur L. Loeb is Senior Lecturer on Visual and Environmental Studies, Curator of the Teaching Collection in the Carpenter Centre for the Visual Arts, and Acting Master of Dudley House, Harvard University. He was born in The Netherlands and educated in the United States at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. His doctorate is in Chemical Physics, but through his research contact with Gyorgy Kepes, M. C. Escher and R. Buckminster Fuller, he has been able to embrace the whole spectrum of design. His 40 or so publications show his expertize as well as his exceptional ability in combining the compatible aspects of the arts and the sciences. Prior to his appointment at Harvard University he has been an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Staff Scientist at the Kennecott Copper Company.     

Subject indicators to present the nature and limit of environmental studies in US graduate schools

Summary The purpose of this paper is to examine subjects to show the nature and limit of interdisciplinary communication in existing environmental programmes in US graduate schools. Ultimately, this analysis may provide more effective communication with the general public. Following comparative historical reviews of both the sciences and the human activity for environmental protection, and a content analysis of empirical documents used by the public, a mushroom computer model has been produced. This model is based on organizational behaviour theory and contains the following 15 subjects which were originally introduced before the lack of communication resulting from curriculum failure in the 19th century: philosophy, politics, economics, architecture, sociology, biology, medicine, agriculture, ecology, public health, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology, statistics. The subjects should foster effective communication with the general public, leading to more effective environmental protection.Dr Hong S. Kim is at the Environmental Studies Program, California State University, Fullerton, USA. He received a PhD from the Administration and Management Program at Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. His numerous papers are focused on environmental pollution analysis, environmental impact assessment, environmental management, and environmental law. He has written a book entitledEnvironmentology which is forthcoming.Dr James P. Dixon is the Chairperson of Health Services at Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401, USA. He was recently Professor of the Department of Policy and Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. He was also past President of Antioch College (1959–1975). His many publications are concentrated in the areas of organizational development, public health and preventive medicine, and administration of human service organizations.     

A process for quantifiable evaluation of environment improvement

Summary The assessment of adverse effects of development projects is well established, as, for example, in the case of quarrying or a new urban road scheme. Environmental Improvement, on the other hand, is generally seen as a by-product of economic or development schemes. In the UK it is recognised as an important factor in attracting private sector investment, yet in project evaluation environmental improvements are often described in general terms but not quantified.Survey methods for establishing people's preferences are well established. Enhancement of the environment can be measured as a ratio by assessing the environment before and after improvement. This method has been applied in an evaluation of four case studies assessing the impact of Urban Development Grants in South Wales (Alden et al., 1987).Dr S M Romaya is an architect who possesses a planning qualification. His environmental interests relate particularly to urban centres and these form the focus of his research and many publications. In addition to conducting an architectural practice and being involved in consultancy, much of his working life has been spent in academic institutions; as an Associate Professor at the College of Engineering Technology, Baghdad; at Nottingham University; and now as a lecturer in Urban Design in the Department of Town Planning, UWIST, Cardiff. This paper was initially delivered at an Environmental Impact Assessment Conference conducted by the Institution of Environmental Sciences during October 1986.     

环境污染责任保险的美国经验及中国实践

环境污染责任保险是一种基于市场手段的环境风险管理方法,通过为具有环境污染风险的企业提供商业保险,从而为被保企业的环境污染及治理责任提供一定的保障,同时促进企业主动降低其环境风险。环责险在我国经过了多年的试点和推广,取得了一定成绩,但是也面临许多困难。本文借鉴环责险在美国发展的经验,识别环责险市场发展的条件,同时评价我国环责险市场发展是否具备这些条件,并为进一步促进环责险发展提供建议。     

Review and challenges of policies of environmental protection and sustainable development in China

China is confronted with the dual task of developing its national economy and protecting its ecological environment. Since the 1980s, China's policies on environmental protection and sustainable development have experienced five changes: (1) progression from the adoption of environmental protection as a basic state policy to the adoption of sustainable development strategy; (2) changing focus from pollution control to ecological conservation equally; (3) shifting from end-of-pipe treatment to source control; (4) moving from point source treatment to regional environmental governance; and (5) a turn away from administrative management-based approaches and towards a legal means and economic instruments-based approach. Since 1992, China has set down sustainable development as a basic national strategy. However, environmental pollution and ecological degradation in China have continued to be serious problems and have inflicted great damage on the economy and quality of life. The beginning of the 21st century is a critical juncture for China's efforts towards sustaining rapid economic development, intensifying environmental protection efforts, and curbing ecological degradation. As the largest developing country, China's policies on environmental protection and sustainable development will be of primary importance not only for China, but also the world. Realizing a completely well-off society by the year 2020 is seen as a crucial task by the Chinese government and an important goal for China's economic development in the new century, however, attaining it would require a four-fold increase over China's year 2000 GDP. Therefore, speeding up economic development is a major mission during the next two decades and doing so will bring great challenges in controlling depletion of natural resources and environmental pollution. By taking a critical look at the development of Chinese environmental policy, we try to determine how best to coordinate the relationship between the environment and the economy in order to improve quality of life and the sustainability of China's resources and environment. Examples of important measures include: adjustment of economic structure, reform of energy policy, development of environmental industry, pollution prevention and ecological conservation, capacity building, and international cooperation and public participation.     

Environmental planning at the local level: The example of local conservation strategies in Victoria,Australia

Summary While there is a burgeoning literature on national approaches to environmental policy and programmes, much less interest thus far has been shown in the role of local government. However, the State of Victoria in Australia, in the period 1988–1990, took a world lead in encouraging local municipalities to formulate Local Conservation Strategies (LCSs) with a high level of citizen input. The paper places this programme initiative in context and reports on the results of consultations and workshops with local Municipal Conservation Officers who have been in the front line in terms of developing and implementing LCSs in that State. In particular, the paper explores the process of LCS formulation and highlights some of the benefits and problems with the programme so far.Dr David Mercer is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Monash University, Melbourne. His major research interest is Australian environmental policy. Dr Meg Keen's research interests are in environmental education and management.     

Ideology and environmental risk management

Summary Although risk management is interdisciplinary in nature, in practice it is excessively compartmentalized. For instance, two quite different orientations to risk management are commonly seen, the relationship between them being one of suspicious rivalry rather than cooperation. Thus, anyone interested in developing a more integrated form of risk management is faced with the problem of trying to understand why these opposed factions have developed and what sustains their mutual antagonism. Hopefully, this paper makes a contribution in this regard by discussing the psychological and socio-political roots of environmental ideology.Dr Alan Miller is currently Professor of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick. He received his early training in biology (in England) and ecology (in Canada). He subsequently spent several years pursuing research at the Northwest Institute for Medical Research in Chicago, USA. A growing interest in the human aspects of environmental and medical problems led to a further graduate study in psychology, followed by teaching positions in Ireland and Canada. His current interests include: the education of environmental professionals; the psychosocial problems involved in environmental management, and the problems inherent in interdisciplinary project groups.     

Tunnel vision in environmental management

Summary This is a paper about problem-solving styles in Environmental Management and the specific deficiencies in these styles that might be groupd under the label ‘tunnel vision’. The latter, a form of selective attention, contributes to inadequate problem-formulation, partial solutions to complex problems and to the generation of even more intractable, additional problems. Examples of tunnel vision in military and environmental decision-making are discussed, together with the situational, personal and educational factors that exacerbate its influence. The paper concludes with some recommendations for changes in professional education that might help to recduce the occurrence of tunnel vision. Dr Alan Miller who is now associate professor at the University of New Brunswick received his training in biology (in England) and ecology (in Canada). He then spent several years pursuing research at the Northwest Institute for Medical Research in Chicago, USA. A growing interest in the human aspects of environmental and medical problems led to a further graduate study in psychology, followed by teaching positions in Ireland and Canada. His current interests include: the education of environmental professional; the psychosocial problems involved in environmental management, and, the problems inherent in interdisciplinary project groups.