Material efficiency: A white paper

For most materials used to provide buildings, infrastructure, equipment and products, global stocks are still sufficient to meet anticipated demand, but the environmental impacts of materials production and processing, particularly those related to energy, are rapidly becoming critical. These impacts can be ameliorated to some extent by the ongoing pursuit of efficiencies within existing processes, but demand is anticipated to double in the next 40 years, and this will lead to an unacceptable increase in overall impacts unless the total requirement for material production and processing is reduced. This is the goal of material efficiency, and this paper aims to stimulate interest in the area. Four major strategies for reducing material demand through material efficiency are discussed: longer-lasting products; modularisation and remanufacturing; component re-use; designing products with less material. In industrialised nations, these strategies have had little attention, because of economic, regulatory and social barriers, which are each examined. However, evidence from waste management and the pursuit of energy efficiency suggests that these barriers might be overcome, and an outline of potential mechanisms for change is given. In bringing together insights into material efficiency from a wide range of disciplines, the paper presents a set of 20 open questions for future work.     

Measuring conservation success beyond the traditional biological criteria: the case of conservation projects in Costa Rica,Mekong Valley,and Cameroon

Traditionally, the criteria used to measure conservation success or failure are based on biological factors. Biological factors include changes in the amount of targeted conserved species, biodiversity, and total area conserved. However, conservation efforts are not simply a matter of biological concern; environmental, political, social, and conflict pressures on different scales (ranging from local to global) also have strong influences on the outcome of conservation. These other factors can either pose threats to or enhance conservation, but are not addressed by current criteria. Using a proposed holistic rubric that includes interdisciplinary fields, this paper examines a set of conservation factors on different scales – ranging from local to global – to determine their importance in conservation. The paper analyses positive factor influences with more successful conservation and negative factor influences with less successful, or failed, conservation attempts. Neutral and non‐applicable factor influences are also identified, defined, and ranked as a standardization mechanism. The determination of success changed when the holistic rubric was applied to conservation projects in Costa Rica, Mekong Valley, and Cameroon. In the Costa Rica case study, conservation success for Guanacaste and Talamanca national parks is rated ‘moderately low’. In the case of Mekong Valley, conservation success is rated ‘low’ for Lower Mekong, ‘moderately low’ for Greater Annamites, and ‘low’ for Phong Nha‐Ke Bang national parks. Cameroon's Congo Basin and Sangha Tri‐National conservation efforts are both rated ‘low’, while Dja Faunal is rated ‘very low’. We conclude that if conservation efforts are to attain a high level of success, the strategy for global conservation must move away from the traditional biological approach, which focuses mainly on biological concerns, and embrace a holistic approach, which in addition to biological concerns, addresses environmental, political, social, and conflict pressures, which have strong influences on the outcomes of conservation.     

山东茶叶生产现状与开发对策

山东省“南茶北引”的成功，特别是近年来茶园的规模发展，使山东省成为江北茶区最北部的茶园集中分布区。茶叶生产取得了良好的经济效益，成为山东省广大低山丘陵区一个新的经济增长点。但是山东省的自然环境条件对茶树生长的诸多限制因素，阻碍了山东省茶树生产的发展。如何打破自然条件的限制，更好地发展茶叶生产，成为山东省实现经济、环境可持续发展的一个亟待解决的问题。在对山东省茶叶生产现状分析的基础上，提出了切实可行的发展对策。     

Quality and sustainability in the production process: A study of bakeries using an integrated multi-criteria method based on fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS

The objective of the present study is to evaluate, determine, and apply alternatives for improving the quality of the process and the product, with an emphasis on sustainable practices, using an integrated multi-criteria method. For this purpose, an analysis was conducted at a chain of bakeries, aiming to highlight bottlenecks in the production process and in the product. With the support of a literature review, four criteria and seven alternatives were defined to overcome these bottlenecks and, at the same time, contribute to the sustainability of the organization. For data analysis, six decision makers were interviewed and, following their evaluations, an integrated method based on fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS was created. The fuzzy AHP was adopted to establish the importance of the criteria, while the fuzzy TOPSIS was used to evaluate and classify the alternatives developed to bypass the bottlenecks. The results revealed that of the criteria, Criterion “Cr1 – Quality” was prioritized. On the other hand, the alternative with the best performance was “A3 – Physical Layout Reorganization”. Applying this alternative, the study demonstrates the results achieved such as reduction of errors and accident risks, as well as greater fluidity in the productive space. the present study also makes theoretical and managerial contributions to the field, bringing the theory closer to the reality of companies that operate in the food sector.     

Defining Human Disturbance to Shorebirds Using Manager and Scientist Input

Shorebird researchers and land managers recognize human disturbance as a serious threat facing shorebirds. Yet, a common understanding of what defines human disturbance is lacking. To address this issue, we employed the Delphi technique, an iterative consensus-building social science method, to bring scientists and managers together to develop a shared definition of human disturbance and a list of priority human activities that could affect migratory shorebirds. During four iterative rounds, participants with extensive knowledge on human disturbance to shorebirds from varying geographic locations within the Northeastern U.S. worked together to produce a shared understanding. Through analyzing participants’ open-ended responses, we identified important themes for the definition. The participants then refined and ranked these themes through surveys, and the top-ranked themes were used to draft a final definition also reviewed by the participants. Participants provided 94 human activities in response to our request to list and describe all potential human disturbances that affect shorebirds during fall migration. From there, we grouped the activities into 23 categories. Through rating and ranking tasks, participants reduced this list to 12 priority disturbance categories that represent the perceived most significant human disturbances in the Northeastern United States. We also compared responses among the different participant groups (i.e., managers, scientists, and manager/scientists), finding that groups’ responses generally did not significantly differ. While nearly all participants were satisfied with the process, we provide some suggestions to improve it. The outputs of the Delphi technique have informed a best practices guidance document for shorebird management.     

Public involvement in environmental assessment: the case of the nonparticipant

Public involvement is recognized by legislators, practitioners, academics, nongovernment organizations and, most importantly, affected communities, as a fundamental component of environmental assessment (EA) processes. Experience with public involvement in EA has proven, however, that despite good intentions, there are formidable barriers to participation. This paper examines this issue, largely through a case study of a new Can$120 million hog processing facility in Brandon, Canada. Primary data were collected in three phases, using multiple methodological techniques, including document review, qualitative interviews, and a mail questionnaire. Results included a diverse list of barriers to involvement, grouped into two primary categories: structural and individual. A significant structural barrier was a belief that becoming involved would not make a difference as the ultimate decision in the case was a foregone conclusion. An important individual barrier was that people did not know about the EA. Finally, the results indicated that lack of interest was not an important reason for nonparticipation.     

Environmentally Friendly Disposal Behaviour and Local Support Systems: lessons from a metropolitan area

The amount of household refuse has steadily increased in Sweden. Strategies for household waste reduction include sorting, recycling, re-use and repair. Two categories of motivational factors determine disposal behaviour, external and internal. The external factors include administrative, economic, information and physical measures. The internal factors include knowledge, values and attitudes of individuals. Environmentally friendly disposal behaviour is best achieved when both external and internal motivational factors argue for performing activities benign to the environment. The data were collected by interviewing households and stakeholders in a metropolitan area and by studying the facilities for recycling and re-use there. The results show that over 80% of the inhabitants sorted most paper and glass; they were satisfied with the facilities and considered the behaviour important for the environment. The external motivational factors for this behaviour were very strong, with numerous bins and ample information. National policy, formulated in the eco-cycle bill with specified achievement levels, local responsibilities for organising waste management, supporting citizens with physical facilities, information and moti vational arguments, seems to be a successful combination when implementing environmental policy in this sector.     

Factors of success and failure for transboundary environmental cooperation: projects in the Gulf of Aqaba

After signing a peace accord in 1994, joint projects were initiated between Israel and Jordan aimed at enhancing environmental protection and resource management. This paper discusses the Red Sea Dead Sea Canal, the Eilat-Aqaba Municipal Cooperation initiative, the Joint Oil Spill Contingency Plan and the Red Sea Marine Peace Park (RSMPP). The latter is an exemplar of transboundary cooperation for planning of a marine protected area and therefore the main case study. Although the RSMPP never fully materialized, analysis of what transpired provides important lessons. We examine what happened in the 20 years since the attempt to establish the RSMPP began and focus on which of its goals were achieved. As a basis for analysis this paper presents factors identified as significant to the success of transboundary protected areas (TBPAs) and uses them to compare the RSMPP to the three other initiatives. In addition to factors reported in the literature that are known to be effective for TBPA success, we found two new factors as most relevant for the RSMPP case: a peripheral geographic location and intensive work among professionals, mostly marine scientists, on the ground operating under a low profile and with limited public attention.     

B2C服饰类电商企业逆向物流网络联建研究

在电子商务环境下,由于网络购物的兴起,导致大量退货逆向物流和回收逆向物流.鉴于国内多数电商企业没有完善的逆向物流系统,相关学术研究和出版物较少,网购产品中81.8％是服装鞋帽类产品,故提出一种基于电商环境下服饰类行业联合构建逆向物流网络.该网络模型旨在降低两大逆向物流的回收成本,形成规模效应和溢出效应.因此,构建了0-1MILP数学模型和模拟数据,借助Lingo9.0计算软件找出模型的最佳运营状态,为服饰类电商企业高效完成逆向物流活动、提高服务质量、增强行业竞争力提供思路.     

A Quantitative Climate-Match Score for Risk-Assessment Screening of Reptile and Amphibian Introductions

Assessing climatic suitability provides a good preliminary estimate of the invasive potential of a species to inform risk assessment. We examined two approaches for bioclimatic modeling for 67 reptile and amphibian species introduced to California and Florida. First, we modeled the worldwide distribution of the biomes found in the introduced range to highlight similar areas worldwide from which invaders might arise. Second, we modeled potentially suitable environments for species based on climatic factors in their native ranges, using three sources of distribution data. Performance of the three datasets and both approaches were compared for each species. Climate match was positively correlated with species establishment success (maximum predicted suitability in the introduced range was more strongly correlated with establishment success than mean suitability). Data assembled from the Global Amphibian Assessment through NatureServe provided the most accurate models for amphibians, while ecoregion data compiled by the World Wide Fund for Nature yielded models which described reptile climatic suitability better than available point-locality data. We present three methods of assigning a climate-match score for use in risk assessment using both the mean and maximum climatic suitabilities. Managers may choose to use different methods depending on the stringency of the assessment and the available data, facilitating higher resolution and accuracy for herpetofaunal risk assessment. Climate-matching has inherent limitations and other factors pertaining to ecological interactions and life-history traits must also be considered for thorough risk assessment. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Factors Affecting Stream Nutrient Loads: A Synthesis of Regional SPARROW Model Results for the Continental United States1

Preston, Stephen D., Richard B. Alexander, Gregory E. Schwarz, and Charles G. Crawford, 2011. Factors Affecting Stream Nutrient Loads: A Synthesis of Regional SPARROW Model Results for the Continental United States. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(5):891‐915. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2011.00577.x Abstract: We compared the results of 12 recently calibrated regional SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes) models covering most of the continental United States to evaluate the consistency and regional differences in factors affecting stream nutrient loads. The models – 6 for total nitrogen and 6 for total phosphorus – all provide similar levels of prediction accuracy, but those for major river basins in the eastern half of the country were somewhat more accurate. The models simulate long‐term mean annual stream nutrient loads as a function of a wide range of known sources and climatic (precipitation, temperature), landscape (e.g., soils, geology), and aquatic factors affecting nutrient fate and transport. The results confirm the dominant effects of urban and agricultural sources on stream nutrient loads nationally and regionally, but reveal considerable spatial variability in the specific types of sources that control water quality. These include regional differences in the relative importance of different types of urban (municipal and industrial point vs. diffuse urban runoff) and agriculture (crop cultivation vs. animal waste) sources, as well as the effects of atmospheric deposition, mining, and background (e.g., soil phosphorus) sources on stream nutrients. Overall, we found that the SPARROW model results provide a consistent set of information for identifying the major sources and environmental factors affecting nutrient fate and transport in United States watersheds at regional and subregional scales.     

The role of parental behaviour for the development of behaviour specific environmental norms – The example of recycling and re-use behaviour

Based on the norm activation theory we developed assumptions about how parents may influence specific pro-environmental behaviours (i.e. re-use of paper and recycling) of their children (age 8–10). A sample of 206 parent-child-dyads were investigated using questionnaires recording norm activation model variables for children (i.e. awareness of need, awareness of consequences, personal norm, subjective norm, pro-environmental behaviour), as well as communication behaviour and actual behaviour of parents. For both behaviours (re-use and recycling) two separate structural equation models were tested (N = 206 and N = 194). Model fit statistics indicate a good fit of empirical data and model structure for both behaviours, supporting our assumption that the norm activation model can be applied to pro-environmental behaviour of young children. Communication behaviour of parents had a different influence on the two respective behaviours. While parents seemed to influence their children's recycling behaviour via sanctions and their own behaviour, re-use of paper was mainly influenced via communication of problem knowledge.     

Reducing discards of fish at sea: a review of European pilot projects

This paper is about improving the viability of discard-reduction pilot projects. One way to address the problem of wasteful discarding of fish at sea is to initiate pilot projects to trial potential solutions, such as selective gear, area closures, discard bans and data enhancement, which could subsequently be adopted by the fishing industry, either voluntarily or through regulation. However, such pilot projects are often difficult both to set up and to sustain through to completion and implementation. This study reviewed 15 discard-related pilot projects to find out what were the most important determinants of their success or lack of it, and to recommend ways in which the prospects of future pilots could be improved. The review identifies the seven most important factors associated with the viability of the pilot projects - fisheries crises; incentivization; funding; expertise; leadership; and enforcement - and shows how fisheries regulators could take steps to reinforce these factors – by faster responses to crises; more incentives and funding; greater use of fishers' knowledge and leadership; and better enforcement mechanisms.     

大型PVC生产企业清洁生产分析研究——以新疆中泰化学华泰重化工有限责任公司为例

利用工艺设备先进、自动化程度高、管理良好、生产规模在同行业中位居全国前列的新疆中泰化学华泰重化工有限责任公司聚氯乙烯树脂(PVC)生产线的清洁生产审核及后评估,通过对其生产工艺、物耗能耗、浪费环节等多方面的分析,挖掘其清洁生产潜力,并通过Vmbeao软件分析其清洁生活水平,为同类企业的清洁生产审核提供借鉴实例,并总结出具有推广价值的清洁生产技术.     

Insurance sector management of climate change adaptation in three Nordic countries: the influence of policy and market factors

The insurance industry is important for facilitating climate change adaptation. Insurance companies’ involvement is, however, influenced by national adaptation policy. The literature suggests that especially policy factors – government interventions, political priorities and public–private cooperation – and market factors – cost offset, cost mitigation, planning flexibility and business opportunities – shape private actor approaches. To increase the understanding of insurance company involvement in adaptation, this study examines how insurance companies’ approaches are influenced by policy and market factors in three countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The study found that the policy factors tested significantly shaped the approaches of the companies assessed, while market factors currently appear less influential. This is likely due to the absence of climate risk and adaptation in political debates and among insurance policyholders. The study discusses the potential role of the insurance industry in adaptation governance and suggests how barriers facing insurance companies could be overcome.     

Transformative climate change adaptation: bridging existing approaches with post-foundational insights on justice

ABSTRACT

Climate adaptation is a complex policy domain, spanning multiple sectors, scales and actors, and wherein those most at risk have the least power. The influence of linear positivist models of science uptake are proving ineffective in a world with increasingly concentrated wealth and power, institutional barriers, and rapidly growing risks facing the many. A plurality of approaches is needed to better examine those dynamics of climate adaptation which are often invisible in models of science uptake – equity, the value of contestation, path dependency – and to consider how to empower communities to find solutions. In this conceptual paper, we argue that bridging existing positivist and interpretivist methods with insights from post-foundational theory so as to underpin pluralism and re-orient ethical principles of justice, strengthens the capacity of social research to support transformative climate adaptation. Principles are proposed to facilitate such bridging.     

军用集成电路质量控制方法分析与探讨

集成电路是军用电子设备最重要的器件之一,集成电路的质量直接影响到军用装备的质量。从集成电路的选择、二次筛选和破坏性物理分析(DPA)这几个方面探讨了军用集成电路的质量控制方法。实践证明通过质量控制筛选得到的集成电路整批使用可靠性都有明显的提高。     

Empowering communities – the role of intermediary organisations in community renewable energy projects in Indonesia

Community Renewable Energy (CRE) has been defying conventional energy systems for decades, though only recently it started to feature in academic and institutional discourses. Despite its new appeal, the literature on the impacts and factors influencing CRE projects is still scarce and builds mostly on studies in Europe and North America. In developing countries, where electricity access is low and energy poverty is prevalent, CRE can offer interesting opportunities for rural electrification and added benefits. The objective of this study is to assess the impacts of community-owned renewable energy projects and identify the internal and external drivers and barriers to their success. An exploratory case-study approach was used for collecting data, through interviews and observations, in two community micro-hydro projects in Indonesia. The results showed positive socio-economic impacts that exceed electrification benefits, and the reported success of community energy projects can be traced back to a combination of community-level as well as external factors. Yet, particularly important is the role of the intermediary organisation (Ibeka) in building communities’ ownership, enhancing (technical, entrepreneurial and managerial) capacities, transferring knowledge and technology, establishing innovative financing models and shaping policy. Such organisations are critical in bridging external and internal factors and thus represent a key element in integrating the proposed analytical frameworks.     

Practitioner Insights into Weed Management on California’s Rangelands and Natural Areas

Working rangelands and natural areas span diverse ecosystems and face both ecological and economic threats from weed invasion. Restoration practitioners and land managers hold a voluminous cache of place-based weed management experience and knowledge that has largely been untapped by the research community. We surveyed 260 California rangeland managers and restoration practitioners to investigate invasive and weedy species of concern, land management goals, perceived effectiveness of existing practices (i.e., prescribed fire, grazing, herbicide use, and seeding), and barriers to practice implementation. Respondents identified 196 problematic plants, with yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis L.) and medusahead (Elymus caput-medusae L.) most commonly listed. Reported adoption and effectiveness of weed management practices varied regionally, but the most highly rated practice in general was herbicide use; however, respondents identified considerable challenges including nontarget effects, cost, and public perception. Livestock forage production was the most commonly reported management goals (64% of respondents), and 25% of respondents were interested in additional information on using grazing to manage invasive and weedy species; however, 19% of respondents who had used grazing for weed management did not perceive it to be an effective tool. Across management practices, we also found common barriers to implementation, including operational barriers (e.g., permitting, water availability), potential adverse impacts, actual effectiveness, and public perception. Land manager and practitioner identified commonalities of primary weeds, management goals, perceived practice effectiveness, and implementation barriers across diverse bioregions highlight major needs that could be immediately addressed through management–science partnerships across the state’s expansive rangelands and natural areas.     

Controls on catchment-scale patterns of phosphorus in soil, streambed sediment, and stream water

Many models of phosphorus (P) transfer at the catchment scale rely on input from generic databases including, amongst others, soil and land use maps. Spatially detailed geochemical data sets have the potential to improve the accuracy of the input parameters of catchment-scale nutrient transfer models. Furthermore, they enable the assessment of the utility of available, generic spatial data sets for the modeling and prediction of soil nutrient status and nutrient transfer at the catchment scale. This study aims to quantify the unique and joint contribution of soil and sediment properties, land cover, and point-source emissions to the spatial variation of P concentrations in soil, streambed sediments, and stream water at the scale of a medium-sized catchment. Soil parent material and soil chemical properties were identified as major factors controlling the catchment-scale spatial variation in soil total P and Olsen P concentrations. Soil type and land cover as derived from the generic spatial database explain 33.7% of the variation in soil total P concentrations and 17.4% of the variation in Olsen P concentrations. Streambed P concentrations are principally related to the major element concentrations in streambed sediment and P delivery from the hillslopes due to sediment erosion. During base flow conditions, the total phosphorus (<0.45 microm) concentrations in stream water are mainly controlled by the concentrations of P and the major elements in the streambed sediment.