Barriers to Renewable Energy Development on Brownfields

Brownfields that are reused for the generation of renewable energy are called brightfields. This rapidly emerging idea advocates the combination sustainable site reuse and the generation of electricity from renewables. While programmes like the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative herald its benefits, academia knows but little of its barriers and challenges. This study aims to examine the technical/environmental, regulator/financial/institutional, and social barriers to this type of development, along with measures that may address them. The barriers and measures were predominately identified via a qualitative and quantitative survey sent to brightfield developers (experts), along with a review of case studies and the emerging brightfield literature. The study found that environmental/technical barriers only differ from ‘conventional’ renewable energy projects (e.g. on Greenfields) in the event of site contamination. The latter then is what makes brightfields unique and is the source for a myriad of challenges concerning risk and liability, which cause financial problems and investment hesitance. However, evidence conjectures that there is less contextual public opposition to brightfields compared to conventional renewable energy.     

Barriers to Water Conservation in the Rio Grande Basin1

Abstract: The Rio Grande basin shares problems faced by many arid regions of the world: growing and competing demands for water and river flows and uses that are vulnerable to drought and climate change. In recent years legislation, administrative action, and other measures have emerged to encourage private investment in efficient agricultural water use. Nevertheless, several institutional barriers discourage irrigators from investing in water conservation measures. This article examines barriers to agricultural water conservation in the Rio Grande basin and identifies challenges and opportunities for promoting it. Several barriers to water conservation are identified: clouded titles, water transfer restrictions, illusory water savings, insecure rights to conserved water, shared carry‐over storage, interstate compacts, conservation attitudes, land tenure arrangements, and an uncertain duty of water. Based on data on water use and crop production costs, price is found to be a major factor influencing water conservation. A low water price discourages water conservation even if other institutions promote it. A high price of water encourages conservation even in the presence of other discouraging factors. In conclusion, water‐conserving policies can be more effectively implemented where water institutions and programs are designed to be compatible with water’s underlying economic scarcity.     

技术性贸易壁垒(TBT)的七大发展趋势

随着经济全球化和贸易自由化的发展,近几年国际贸易领域不断涌现出TBT问题,TBT的技术含量不断提高,种类与数量越来越多,环保因素也更加突出,且已经延伸至生产经营的全过程,正成为贸易保护的主力。     

电网建设项目竣工环保验收的常见问题及解决方案

电网项目属于非污染型生态项目,具有该类型项目特有的影响因子单一、项目涉及范围广及环境敏感点分布不均等特点。该类项目竣工环保验收中存在6种主要问题,针对验收率、验收监测、公众参与等方面,通过制定规范、加强管理、落实环保治理措施等层面,给出了相对的解决方案。通过方案的实施,主要常见问题可得到解决或改善。     

秦皇岛市水土保持工作存在的问题及对策

自水保法颁布实施以来,秦皇岛市的水土保持工作取得了巨大成效;全市共出台县级以上水土保持规范性文件15个;工程建设力度不断加大,综合治理水土流失面积1 619 km2;宣传教育活动深入开展,人们的水保意识普遍增强。然而,在新形势下还存在着宣传不到位、投入不足、治理思路老化、重治理轻预防、执法队伍素质低等诸多问题。因此,针对我市目前水土保持工作存在的问题,提出六项保证措施,推进水土保持工作健康发展。     

Beijing's Water Resources: Challenges and Solutions

Beijing's local water resources have been overexploited and the ecological and environmental pressures exceed the carrying capacity of this densely populated megacity. This article examines the current status of Beijing's water resources with respect to its industrial, residential, and eco‐environmental water usage and the challenges it may face in the near future. The article describes the context of water uses, the steps taken by Beijing to alleviate the water shortage problems, and challenges to Beijing's abilities to meet its urgent and future water needs. A multipronged strategy is proposed that aims at both the present problems and the anticipated future challenges. In particular, engineering and institutional approaches for Beijing's successful transition from overexploitation to sustainable utilization of water resources are explained. Actions include reasonable water utilization, water conservation, reclaimed wastewater, and importing water from neighboring areas. We conclude that Beijing must take additional steps in water resource management to ensure its sustainable development that involves continued urbanization sprawls and population growth. Future water resource management strategies should focus on strengthening water demand management through water conservation, efficient interbasin water transfers, use of nontraditional water resources, strategically reserving water supply, and promoting rehabilitation of the eco‐environments.     

基于智能能源网的资源开发与市场匹配模式研究——以煤基低碳能源转化为例

智能能源网是我国＂十二五＂期间完善资源开发及能源转化的重点科研攻关课题。以煤基低碳能源转化为例,提出基于智能能源网的资源开发模式。该模式可从根本上改善我国传统的对原生资源低效和掠夺式的开发方式,提高从原生资源到能源商品整个过程的资源转化效率,在极大程度上减少生产过程中对环境造成的碳排放污染。其市场匹配模式应以政府作为引导主体,按市场化所处的不同阶段积极施行经济和科技体制改革。     

Barriers to sustainable water-quality management

Due to the pressures of increasing population and developing economy all over the world, the present situation of water-quality management is far from satisfactory. To enhance sustainability of water-quality-management systems, in-depth research of the related barriers and the relevant mitigation approaches is desired. In this paper, recent developments, advancements, challenges, and barriers associated with practices of water-quality management were analyzed. A number of related methodologies, applications, and policy considerations were examined. Issues of information support, technology development, system integration, and policy implementation were discussed. Perspectives of sustainable water-quality management in the twenty-first century were investigated, demonstrating many demanding areas for enhanced research efforts, including issues of data availability and reliability, concerns in system complexity and methodology validity, limitations of computer techniques, usefulness of research outputs, difficulties in policy implementation, and necessity of training programs.     

智能合约嵌入碳汇产品交易：法律挑战与应对路径

在全面推进乡村振兴背景下,探索碳汇产品价值实现是对习近平生态文明思想的践行,也是实现生态保护补偿和绿色发展的重要市场化手段。进入数字时代,基于区块链技术的智能合约,因技术优势带来的发展优势,其与各行业不断融合,并形成新的发展思路和发展业态。探索将智能合约技术嵌入碳汇产品交易,可以降低碳汇产品交易成本,提高碳汇产品交易效率。然而,新兴技术的应用是一把双刃剑,智能合约能够为碳汇产品价值实现带来诸多优势,但同时也将引发实体法、程序法以及新业态监管方面的挑战。因此,为实现智能合约在碳汇产品价值实现领域的全面可持续应用,应当从实体法、程序法以及新业态监管机制等方面,探索法律应对路径的理性回归。     

城市生活垃圾堆肥处理工程技术发展探讨

文章分析了我国城市生活垃圾堆肥陷入滞销困境多年的原因，指出摆脱这一困境的技术途径是要大幅度提高堆肥品质。而要实现这一目标，首先必须引进先进的堆肥翻堆技术，缩短腐熟时间，提高腐熟度；其次是应用气流密度分选系统对粗堆肥进行精分选。     

我国城市水务业的发展动向

文章分析了我国城市水务业的现状、改革动向、对外开放，并提出建议。     

Policy,Institutional and Market Barriers to the Implementation of Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) in China

China is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the world, with potentially about two thirds of total Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) for Asia on the world carbon market (). Since 68% of its primary energy is from coal, China's average energy intensity is 7.5 times higher than the EU and 4.3 times higher than the US (EU, 2003 The European Union on-line. (2003). (http://europa.eu.int/index_ns_en.htm accessed Oct 2003  [Google Scholar]). Therefore, introducing advanced clean technologies and management to China represents opportunities for Annex I countries to obtain low-cost CERs through CDM projects, and access to one of the largest potential energy conservation markets in the world.

CDM can provide a win-win solution for both China and Annex I countries, and the Chinese government considers that the introduction of CDM projects can bring advanced energy technologies and foreign investment to China, thereby helping China's sustainable economy and generating CERs. As energy efficiency is generally low and carbon intensity is high in both China's energy supply and demand sectors, numerous options exist for cost-effective energy conservation and GHG mitigation with CDM.

This paper reviews current Chinese policies and administrative and institutional settings for CDM cooperation, and discusses existing policy, institutional and other barriers in the energy market by drawing on observations and experience from previous initiatives such as Cleaner Production and energy efficiency. Some options to remove these barriers are addressed. In order to make CDM projects feasible, China's government needs to promote awareness, streamline administrative systems, and be more active in building a competitive edge in the world carbon market.     

Smart Growth and Sustainable Development: Challenges,solutions and policy directions

In this paper, we focus on the issues related to development densities that emerged from our study of sprawl and development issues in three regions of British Columbia, Canada. We chose to focus on this aspect of the Smart Growth agenda because, while many of its other elements enjoy wide support across social interests, the goal of achieving a higher density urban fabric is highly controversial. We proceeded by collecting data on development densities and 13 indicators of community sustainability in 26 municipalities. The results suggest that the density of communities is associated with efficiencies in infrastructure and with reduced automobile dependence, with the ecological and economic implications which flow from that. However, it does not necessarily correlate with greater affordability of housing or more access to green space. In fact, if anything, we discovered a negative relationship between housing affordability and green space per capita and higher land-use densities. In a second stage of the research, we conducted a qualitative analysis of a subset of six municipalities and identified key policy issues for moving ahead with the Smart Growth agenda. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy issues that emerged from these case studies.     

Smart Growth and Sustainable Development: challenges, solutions and policy directions

In this paper, we focus on the issues related to development densities that emerged from our study of sprawl and development issues in three regions of British Columbia, Canada. We chose to focus on this aspect of the Smart Growth agenda because, while many of its other elements enjoy wide support across social interests, the goal of achieving a higher density urban fabric is highly controversial. We proceeded by collecting data on development densities and 13 indicators of community sustainability in 26 municipalities. The results suggest that the density of communities is associated with efficiencies in infrastructure and with reduced automobile dependence, with the ecological and economic implications which flow from that. However, it does not necessarily correlate with greater affordability of housing or more access to green space. In fact, if anything, we discovered a negative relationship between housing affordability and green space per capita and higher land-use densities. In a second stage of the research, we conducted a qualitative analysis of a subset of six municipalities and identified key policy issues for moving ahead with the Smart Growth agenda. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy issues that emerged from these case studies.     

水资源开发与利用科研工作的现实制约与对策建议

中国人均水资源量少、水资源时空分布不均,近年来经济社会对水资源需求日益增大。在相关领域科技成果的大力支撑下,中国走出了一条有效的水资源管理之路,实现了水资源的高效利用和有效保护。但目前在水资源开发利用的科技活动中仍存在一定的现实制约,本文进行了一定分析,并提出了对策建议。     

南四湖流域水污染防治存在的问题及对策

南四湖通过采用"治、用、保"并举的流域污染综合治理措施,把污染治理与水资源循环利用相结合,取得了明显的成效,但仍面临工业结构性污染严重、城市基础设施建设滞后、面源污染突出等问题。根据南四湖实际情况,可从加大资金筹措力度、继续实施流域综合治理、整合现有港口资源、开展生态养殖、加强执法等方面入手,解决流域水污染防治存在的问题。     

福建省乡村智慧旅游发展创新策略研究

基于智慧旅游视角对福建省乡村旅游发展现状进行分析,发现其在旅游配套设施、管理、营销与服务上缺乏智慧引领,从基础保障体系构建、智慧管理、智慧营销和智慧服务四方面提出福建省“乡村智慧旅游”架构及创新发展策略,以期对福建乃至全国的乡村旅游转型发展提供借鉴.     

提高农业用水效率促进农业可持续性发展

乐亭县地处滨海,农业用水效率低,加之上游连年缺水,造成田间荒芜撂荒现象严重.乐亭县是农业大县,工业相对薄弱,掀起一场提高农业用水效率的革命势在必行.主要途径:大力推进节水灌溉制度,调整农业种植结构,积极引进、开发、培育节水高产品种,减少无效蒸发,节水高产施肥、培肥技术.