Institutional response to disaster risk: the City of Vancouver and District of Maple Ridge,British Columbia,Canada

Regional Environmental Change - Proactively managing disaster risk in the absence of an event is the result of the responsible organization or institution’s political will. This paper is a...     

An integrated decision-support process for adaptation planning: climate change as impetus for scenario planning in an agricultural region of Canada

The amount of information required to adapt to climate change is vast: downscaled climate projections, information on environmental impact, sectoral performance, external drivers, regional strategies, policies and practices. It can be argued that most of this information is accessible at the community/regional level, and thus, the important challenges to adaptation are not information gaps, but constraints created by fragmented planning decisions and a sector-by-sector basis for financial and human resource allocations. To strategically address this through adaptation planning, we developed and tested a place-based decision-making framework that creates an integrated platform for considering regional and global sectoral drivers in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Using available socioeconomic and biophysical information from regional authorities, alternative future scenarios were used to describe the range of socioeconomic futures and their vulnerabilities to climate change. We found that: (1) integration of diverse sets of available data (rather than narrowly focused sectoral assessments) helped identify shared common objectives (maximizing the long-term environmental, economic, social well-being within the region), (2) a high degree of congruence existed as the key drivers of change, irrespective of sector, (3) exploring the future scenarios highlighted shared regional priorities and helped identify adaptation priorities requiring more integrated regional planning.     

Contribution of small-scale mining to employment,development and sustainability – an Indian scenario

Small-scale mining is more prevalent in India. The maximum production capacity of 50,000 tonnes/year has been accepted as a criterion to Indian small-scale mine. Such mines constitute about 90% of total number of mines, 42% of the total non-fuel minerals and metals, 5% of the fuel minerals. Some 3000 small scale mines account for a work force of about 0.5 million people. Yet this sector is a neglected sector in Indian economy and still considered as an unorganized sector. This paper examines the contribution of small-scale mines to employment and national mineral production, practices, and Indian policy on small-scale mining. It identifies the drawbacks in the existing Government policy and discusses the role of Government for up gradation in this sector. It focuses the need for technical up gradation and to ensure the economic and social infrastructure. It also discusses how the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods, poverty alleviation and indigenous peoples right in artisanal and small-scale mining be more effective when these communities are disadvantaged or neglected by Government policies. This paper concludes that this sector can make significant contribution to Indian economy and employment generation. It recommends that by establishing mining centre consist of shared mining and processing facilities, educating and training related initiatives it can be achieved.     

Levels of elements in the surficial estuarine sediments of the Hugli River, northeast India and their environmental implications

The present paper is the first document of a detailed geochemical and mineralogical study of muddy to sandy mud estuarine sediments of the Hugli River collected from five different sites along its course in the coastal areas of West Bengal, northeast India. The present work attempts to establish the status of distribution and environmental implications of 52 elements in the surficial estuarine sediments and their possible sources of derivation. The level of both metallic and non-metallic elements shows a wide range of variation all along the course of the estuary and can be attributed to their differential derivation from the source rocks and differential discharge of untreated effluents originating from industrial, agricultural, aquacultural as well as domestic sewage. The element contents, particularly the heavy metal content in the sediments, are the lowest in the upstream part of the estuary at Diamond Harbor, whereas, these are slightly higher in the intermediate stretch of the estuary at Haldia to highest in the mouth of estuary at Gangasagar. These changes indicate that the metals that are carried from upstream find their ultimate depositional sink at the delta mouth near Gangasagar, where almost all the elements showed elevated values. The majority of the elements have their highest concentrations at Canning, a site within the tidal channel network of the Hugli-Matla drainage basin away from the direct influence of the Hugli River. This site is severely contaminated with huge organic load from domestic sewage, aquaculture, intensive trawling activities and agricultural runoff. Moreover, the site suffers from heavy siltation load causing an almost moribund condition of Matla River at this point. Equi-dimensional quartzo-feldspathic mineral grains are consistent components in the siliciclastic composition of the sediments and their sizes at each station are controlled by respective hydrodynamic conditions. Various flaky minerals (mica, chlorite, hornblende) are also present but show inconsistent patterns of distribution. These flaky minerals remain in suspension for a long time and do not follow the usual law of settling of particles depending on the hydrodynamic regime prevailing in the area. Presented data will serve as a baseline against which future anthropogenic effects may be assessed. A comprehensive account of heavy metal content in sediments from different coastal regions of peninsular India has also been presented for purpose of comparison.     

The nexus of tourism,renewable energy,income, and environmental quality: an empirical analysis of Pakistan

Environment, Development and Sustainability - In the current study, we investigate the dynamic association of tourism, renewable energy, income, foreign direct investment (FDI), and carbon dioxide...     

The influence of heterogeneous environmental regulation on the green development of the mining industry: empirical analysis based on the system GMM and dynamic panel data model

The intensity of environmental regulation (ERI) affects the short-term effect of the level of green mining (GML), and which structure determines the long-term mechanism. Based on the panel data from 2001 to 2015, with the dynamic panel model and system GMM estimation method were employed to test the influence of heterogeneous environmental regulation on green mining and its transmission mechanism. The results show that, there is a “U” type nonlinear relationship between the ERI and GML. The direct effect of command-control-based (CAC) and the market incentive-based (MBI) environmental regulation on green development of mining shows the characteristics of inhibition and promotion. There is a “U” type of indirectly moderating effect between technological innovation and the energy consumption structure on the GML. The technological innovation promotes the green development of the mining industry only after pass the inflection point of MBI, while the CAC plays a significant guiding role in upgrading of the energy consumption structure. There is an inhibition and promotion effect of MBI on the GML in the southeast coastal area, and the CAC is not significantly. Meanwhile, both of the ERI shows no positive effects in the central and western inland region.     

Impact of violent conflicts and environmental hazards on pastoral sustainable development in Punjab,Pakistan

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Pastoralism is mostly related to specific ethnic group or group of people whose livelihoods generally depend on production of livestock in the...     

An analysis of the environmental mobility of radiostrontium from weapons testing and Chernobyl in Finnish river catchments

The mobility of radiostrontium within the Arctic environment and surrounding area has been studied by analysing the mobility of 90Sr in river catchments that are within Finland. The environmental mobility of 90Sr deposited by both nuclear weapons testing and the Chernobyl accident has been investigated in five Finnish river catchments. Different models assessing the time-dependent mobility of 90Sr have been evaluated. No significant differences were found between the mobility of 90Sr from nuclear weapons tests and from the Chernobyl accident. Model parameters obtained by fitting to the measurements of the deposition and runoff rates of the nuclear weapons test fallout gave predictions which were consistent with the mid- and long-term contamination by the Chernobyl fallout. A comparison of 90Sr with 137Cs showed that they had similar mobility on deposition but, as time passed, the relative mobility of 90Sr increased with respect to 137Cs over a period of 5-8 years. Once the relative migration of 90Sr with respect to 137Cs reached equilibrium, its runoff rate was, on average, approximately an order of magnitude greater than 137Cs.     

Simulation and multicriteria analysis in sustainable coastal planning: the case of aquaculture in Thermaikos Gulf, Greece

Mussel aquaculture in Thermaikos Gulf is facing a great challenge to tackle both institutional and production planning aspects. Local stakeholders are concerned about the future design of an efficient and equitable legal planning framework for the aquaculture, as well as about the improvement of production planning in order to optimize the total economic outcome of mussel activity in the area. The present paper focuses on the assessment of alternative production planning decisions, under the assumption that an efficient and socially acceptable institutional framework is already established. To this end, a case-specific decision-making tool is designed aiming to combine simulation modelling and multicriteria analysis. The main interactions between the environmental and cultivation conditions and the socio-economic parameters of the local aquaculture are specified according to a previous modelling effort concerning the long-line mussel farms of the study area. These interactions are then incorporated into a multicriteria model, which is formulated to handle the decision-making problem of selecting the best alternative planning decisions. This is actually a problem of evaluating and choosing the most promising policy options in terms of local society preferences. An integrated approach is followed, by means of an analytic hierarchy process, aiming at analysing the preferences of local community by determining the weights for a specific set of (sustainability) criteria. The relative importance of these criteria is determined through a questionnaire survey among the local stakeholders. The results from this application show that future planning policies should focus on production techniques, which are likely to enhance the quality of mussel production and, at the same time, to minimize the economic risk associated with the local occurrence of Harmful Algal Bloom events.     

Comparative analysis of socio-economic and environmental performances for Chinese EIPs: case studies in Baotou, Suzhou, and Shanghai

To decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, the Chinese government proposed the circular economy (CE) strategy as part of its 11th 5-Year Plan. This strategy expands the application of CE from individual enterprises to eco-industrial parks (EIPs) and to the cities, provinces, and regions. We carried out field studies in three EIPs in Baotou, Suzhou, and Shanghai. In this paper, we discuss the current state of CE and the sustainable development of EIPs in China. We first provide detailed information on the three EIPs' infrastructures, preferential policies, CE frameworks, and eco-chains. We then examine the status of sustainable development in the three EIPs from the perspectives of socio-economic, resource and material efficiency, and environmental performance. The results indicate that the overall performance of the three EIPs is reasonably good with respect to socio-economics, resources and materials, and efficiency and environmental protection, whereas green management is rather weak and thus requires further improvement. We found that the CE frameworks along with eco-chains within the EIPs are effectively improving resource and material efficiency. Moreover, we demonstrate that there are positive associations among socio-economic, resource and material, and environmental indicators. Given the large presence of EIPs in the local economies, these results suggest that EIPs play a key role in promoting sustainable development in China.     

Highly elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate and other perfluorinated acids found in biota and surface water downstream of an international airport, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Per- and poly-fluorinated compounds (PFCs), which include perfluorinated carboxylates (PFCAs) and sulfonates (PFSAs) and various precursors, are used in a wide variety of industrial, commercial and domestic products. This includes aqueous film forming foam (AFFF), which is used by military and commercial airports as fire suppressants. In a preliminary assessment prior to this study, very high concentrations (> 1 ppm wet weight) of the PFSA, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), were discovered in the plasma of snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) collected in 2008 from Lake Niapenco in southern Ontario, Canada. We presently report on a suite of C₆ to C₁₅ PFCAs, C₄, C₆, C₈ and C₁₀ PFSAs, several PFC precursors (e.g. perfluorooctane sulfonamide, PFOSA), and a cyclic perfluorinated acid used in aircraft hydraulic fluid, perfluoroethylcyclohexane sulfonate (PFECHS) in surface water from the Welland River and Lake Niapenco, downstream of the John C. Munro International Airport, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Amphipods, shrimp, and water were sampled from the Welland River and Lake Niapenco, as well as local references. The same suite of PFCs in turtle plasma from Lake Niapenco was compared to those from other southern Ontario sites. PFOS dominated the sum PFCs in all substrates (e.g., > 99% in plasma of turtles downstream the Hamilton Airport, and 72.1 to 94.1% at all other sites). PFOS averaged 2223 (± 247.1 SE) ng/g in turtle plasma from Lake Niapenco, and ranged from 9.0 to 171.4 elsewhere. Mean PFOS in amphipods and in water were 518.1 (± 83.8) ng/g and 130.3 (± 43.6) ng/L downstream of the airport, and 19.1 (± 2.7) ng/g and 6.8 (± 0.5) ng/L at reference sites, respectively. Concentrations of selected PFCs declined with distance downstream from the airport. Although there was no known spill event or publicly reported use of AFFF associated with a fire event at the Hamilton airport, the airport is a likely major source of PFC contamination in the Welland River.     

Identifying resource and environmental carrying capacity in the Yangtze River Economic Belt,China: the perspectives of spatial differences and sustainable development

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The resource and environmental carrying capacity (RECC) is an important foundation and support for a city or region, and determines the direction of...     

Spatial analysis of the environmental conflict between state,society and industry at the Map Ta Phut-Rayong conurbation in Thailand

Industrialization is a common strategy adapted by developing countries in order to stimulate urban development and socio-economic development. Unless guided by a stringent development plan, industrialization-based urban development can lead to negative environmental consequences. This paper examines the environmental conflict that raged into an impasse between the state, society and industry stakeholders at the Map Ta Put industrial zone of the Eastern Seaboard Development Program of Thailand. Using RS–GIS tools, the study conducted a spatial–environmental analysis to elucidate the causes for the conflict and the outcome of the pragmatic approach of the state to resolve it. The study finds expansion of industries and spread of industrial air pollution beyond the buffer zone into the surrounding residential area as the main reasons for the conflict. The policy interventions by the government since 2007 were found to be ineffective to resolve the conflict. Based on the lessons learnt, the study recommends a three-pronged approach to guide similar type of industrial development toward green growth in future.     

Environment,development and sustainability of local practices in the sacred groves and shrines in Bongo District: a bio-cultural study for environmental management in Ghana

The eminent crisis threatening biological and resource diversity is a global adversity. Global resource diversities are constantly disappearing and deteriorating at quite an alarming proportion, provoking renewed thinking regarding the effectiveness of existing environmental management approaches and practices. For the past four decades, several epochs of environmental management policies and practices disregarded the cultural imperative for safeguarding efficient environmental management outcomes, particularly at the community level. Even in the rouse of this reality, issues of spirituality and how it binds local community people to their natural environment appear to be given only a window dressing attention through the recognition of sacred natural sites. Eight sacred groves and shrines in the Bongo District were investigated based on an endogenous development framework. The data were collected using focus group discussions with stakeholders at the local and district levels and individual interviews with key local natural resource managers from four selected communities. The study revealed that the way indigenous people construct the worldviews and interactions with nature using ancestors and other spirit mediums can safeguard the environment against long periods of human interference and destruction. It also demonstrates that in certain places traditional institutions are becoming malleable and open to the use of external knowledge and resources in order to sustain places of sacred significance. It concludes that cultural imperative and the issues of spirituality are critical for the sustainable management of environmental resources. The study recommends revisiting local practice and cultural values that promote good environmental management practices within the local communities.     

工业用地出让、引资质量底线竞争与环境污染——基于252个地级市面板数据的经验分析

在工业化进程中,中国地方政府利用其掌控的土地资源进行大规模的招商引资活动,其中工业用地出让成为其招商引资的法宝。为了在激烈的竞争中获得某些优势,它们有时甚至不惜降低引资质量底线,从而引来一些高污染、高能耗的工业企业,并带来日益严重的环境污染问题。论文利用工业用地协议出让把工业用地出让、引资质量底线竞争与环境污染三者联系起来,并运用2004—2013年全国252个地级市的土地出让数据、经济数据、环境数据来分析工业用地出让对中国经济和环境的影响。通过协议出让面积对固定资产投资、工业总产值、GDP和地方财政收入进行回归来分析采用协议出让方式引入投资项目的质量;通过协议出让面积对工业二氧化硫和工业废水排放量进行回归来分析协议出让方式对当地环境污染的影响。实证结果表明,当期及前期的工业用地协议出让面积与固定资产投资、工业总产值、GDP、地方财政收入、税收等均呈负相关关系,与当地污染物的排放量呈正相关关系。换言之,地方政府若试图用协议出让方式增加工业用地出让面积来促进地方经济增长,将得不偿失,在短期内虽然对地方经济有一定的促进作用,但在长期内会对地方经济和环境造成危害。为了实现经济和生态环境的可持续发展,应完善地方政府的考核方式,调整以GDP为主的政绩考核机制,综合当地环境状况和除经济增长外的其他社会性服务指标作为考核指标;中央政府应该加强对地方政府的监管,严格规范工业用地出让,优化土地资源配置,提升引资质量;地方政府应加强对当地企业的监管,并严格执行环保标准。     

Green energy clusters and socio-technical transitions: analysis of a sustainable energy cluster for regional economic development in Central Massachusetts,USA

As the societal benefits associated with transitioning to more sustainable, less fossil fuel-reliant energy systems are increasingly recognized by communities throughout the world, the potential of creating ‘green jobs’ within a ‘green economy’ is attracting much attention. Green energy clusters are increasingly promoted throughout the world as a strategy to simultaneously promote economic vitality and stimulate a sustainable energy transition. In spite of their emerging role in regional-scale sustainability planning efforts, such initiatives have not been considered within the sustainability transitions literature. This paper explores the development of one such regional sustainable energy cluster initiative in Central Massachusetts in Northeastern USA to consider the potential for such cluster initiatives to contribute to socio-technical transition in the energy system. Since 2008, a diverse set of stakeholders in Central Massachusetts, including politicians, universities, businesses, local citizens, and activists, have been working toward facilitating the emergence of an integrated cluster of activity focused on sustainable energy. Through interviews with key actors, participant observation, and document review, this research assesses the potential of this cluster initiative to contribute to a regional socio-technical transition. The empirical details of this case demonstrate that sustainable energy cluster initiatives can potentially accelerate change in entrenched energy regimes by promoting institutional thickness, generating regional ‘buzz’ around sustainable energy activities, and building trust between multiple and diverse stakeholders in the region. This research also contributes to emerging efforts to better ground socio-technical transitions in geographic space.     

The potential perils of Sal forests land grabbing in Bangladesh: an analysis of economic,social and ecological perspectives

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The increased demand for foods and commercialization of the commodity markets has resulted in enormous interest in arable land resources, leading to a...     

To produce or not to produce: an analysis of bioenergy and crop production decisions based on farmer typologies in Brandenburg,Germany

Regional Environmental Change - The future course of the political regulation of bioenergy will have a significant sustainability impact on many levels. Understanding the specific effects of...     

交易费用三维度属性作用机理及交易方式选择意愿——佛山市南海区集体建设用地市场实证分析

基于广东省南海区的问卷调研,采用Tobit模型分析资产专用性、交易的不确定性和交易频率对农村集体建设用地交易费用的影响,采用Probit模型分析交易费用对市场交易方式选择的影响。(1)集体建设用地市场交易费用的研究结果:资产专用性中承租人不是本地人、受教育程度越高的人力资本资产专用性较高,会产生更高的交易费用;模型中需求方物质资产专用性没有影响;土地资产专用性中的地块离镇中心距离越近的资产专用性更高,因而其交易费用相对较高。交易的不确定性中交易行为的不确定性中交易对象为村集体,其交易费用更低;签订合同可以减少不确定性,降低履约风险,从而达到减少交易费用的目的;没有政府干预更倾向于采用接近市场的形式,交易费用低;交易环境的不确定性中采用竞标方式决定价格其交易费用较低,而采用协议方式其交易费用较高;办理了《房屋产权证》的交易其交易费用更低,产权明晰是市场有效运作的前提。(2)市场交易方式选择的研究结果:交易费用较高的情况下,承租方倾向于选择出让的交易方式;资产专用性中企业员工人数和产业状态均显著正向影响交易方式的选择,地块更靠近镇中心,企业更愿意选择出让的方式;交易的不确定性中交易行为的不确定性具有正向显著影响的因素包括交易对象、合同年限、合同是否公证;交易环境的不确定性中价格决定方式、是否知道南海区试点及南海区流转政策三个变量都显著正向影响交易方式的选择;交易频率显著正向影响交易费用,二次或多次转租的承租方会更愿意选择出租的方式进行交易。研究结论:交易费用的三个分析维度对交易费用的影响不尽一致,应根据其影响的差异性来制定相关政策,以达到降低市场交易费用的目的。