The Volta Lake and Declining Rainfall and Streamflows in the Volta River Basin

This paper looks at the rainfall and streamflow patterns over two distinct time periods, i.e., 1950–1970 and 1971–1991 within the two most prominent catchments in the Volta river system – White Volta and the Oti basins. The first period (1950–1970) represents relatively vegetated catchments and low population whilst the latter (1971–1990) represents intense land use practices resulting from increased population that have severely degraded the environment. These two catchments are among the most significant contributors to the Volta lake. The Volta lake, which was formed between 1962 and 1966 in Ghana and created primarily for hydroelectric power generation, will probably be one of the greatest man-made lakes for a long time. It produces 912MW of electricity at its maximum operating capacity. Recently, there have been declines in the lake levels resulting most probably from inadequate rainfall and/or runoff from the river catchments that feed the lake. Comparisons of runoffs for the two time periods show reductions in mean streamflows of 32.5% at Saboba on the Oti and 23.1% at Nawuni on the White Volta.     

Drought frequency in the Volta Basin of West Africa

According to various reports, climate change is responsible for the change in rainfall amount and pattern accompanied by the various degrees of extreme events in Sahelian West Africa in recent years. Other reports also suggest that there has been a “recovery” of the rainy season (Nicholson 2005). In this study, temporal characteristics of meteorological droughts in the Volta basin, a semi-arid region in West Africa, are investigated in order to provide a guide for sustainable water resource management. For this purpose, drought intensity, areal extent and recurrence frequency is analysed using the standardised precipitation index (SPI) for a time series between 1961 and 2005 from 52 meteorology stations across the Volta basin. Using this analysis the severity of the historical droughts of 1961, 1970, 1983, 1992 and 2001 that occurred in the region are assessed and their intensity, areal extent and return periods are obtained. The drought intensity is lower than −2.0 over nearly 75% of the region, meaning that a major part of the region was under extreme drought conditions during this year. The drought of 1983/1984 has a probability of occurrence of up to 0.1 from records spanning 44 years. The areal extent of extreme drought conditions is about 90% during this drought period.     

The role of sustainability environment in export marketing strategy and performance: a literature review

Increasing environmental issues, economic and cultural differences, the regulatory framework and the great attention to social responsibility, have forced companies to face the challenge of sustainability. Thus, the adaption of a proper marketing strategy in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage in the market (specially export markets) has become an important principle in accepting companies. In this regard, this study is a systematic literature review, which investigated 102 published articles in international journals between 1964 and 2015. In the literature review, the main focus was on key issues such as sustainability, marketing strategies, financial and market export performance. In this article, at first, the concept of sustainability from different aspects was collected and described. Then, external factors, such as competitive intensity, public concern, regulations, technology, cultural/social, and economic, as well as internal factors, such as managers, employees, stakeholders, affecting sustainability, were studied. Finally, adaption of export marketing strategies in order to achieve sustainability export performance is discussed.     

Effects of ranitidine and its photoderivatives in the aquatic environment

This study was designed to assess the overall ecotoxicity of ranitidine, a histamine H₂-receptor antagonist that inhibits stomach acid production. Hence, in addition to ranitidine, its main two photoderivatives, obtained by solar simulator irradiation in water, were investigated. The photoproducts were identified by their physical features. Bioassays were performed on rotifers and microcrustaceans to assess acute and chronic toxicity, while SOS Chromotest and Ames test were utilized to detect the genotoxic potential of the investigated compounds. The results showed that ranitidine did not show any acute toxicity at the highest concentration tested (100 mg/L) for all the organisms utilized in the bioassays. Chronic exposure to these compounds caused inhibition of growth population on rotifers and crustaceans. Genotoxic and mutagenic effects were especially found for one photoproduct suggesting that transformation products, as frequently demonstrated, may show effects higher than the respective parental compound.     

The impact of phosphate loading activities on near marine environment: the Syrian coast.

The impact of loading cargoes of phosphate ore into ships on the near marine environment at the Syrian coast has been evaluated. Results have shown a significant enhancement of 210Po, 210Pb and other natural radionuclides in sediment and surface water inside the port area. The highest 210Po and 210Pb concentrations observed in sediment were found to be 170 and 64 Bq kg(-1) respectively, while 210Pb and 210Po concentrations in surface water ranged from 5 to 20 mBq l(-1) and 0.93 to 3.23 mBq l(-1). In addition, comparable values of 210Po and 210Pb for all marine organisms (algae, crab and fish) suggest that their use as indicators for phosphate pollution is not recommended. However, the effect of loading cargoes on the port marine environment of Tartous was found to be mainly related to wind direction where radioactive air particulate are either being dispersed to land or sea.     

Distribution of gamma-ray emitting radionuclides in the environment of Burullus Lake: I. Soils and vegetations

The concentrations and distribution of gamma-ray emitting isotopes in Burullus Lake were investigated with the aim of evaluating the environmental radioactivity. Particularly in wetlands, natural properties of the environment can cause the actual inventory to be different from the activity originally deposited. The mean concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K were 14.3, 15.5 and 224 Bq/kg, respectively, in the coastal soils. On the other hand, soil samples from the islands had mean concentrations of 13.5, 17.4 and 341 Bq/kg for (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K, respectively. Samples from coast and islands show evidence of possible transfer and accumulation of the (137)Cs radionuclide. The mean (137)Cs activity concentrations in the soil samples were 1.2 and 15.1 Bq/kg in the coast and islands, respectively. The vertical migration of (137)Cs was studied based on its content in the consequently located three soil layers down to 30 cm depth. The radium equivalent, dose rate in air and annual dose equivalent from the terrestrial natural gamma-radiation were evaluated. The mean activity concentrations of the gamma-ray emitting radionuclides in vegetation were relatively low.     

Effects of carbon tax on environment under duopoly

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Environment protection and green development is of great importance. Therefore, this paper attempts to propose an environmentally friendly and...     

Environmental Impacts of the Akosombo Dam and Effects of Climate Change on the Lake Levels

The Akosombo dam was constructed on the Volta river primarily for the generation of hydropower. The resultant Volta lake which was formed between 1962 and 1966 in Ghana will probably long be one of the greatest man-made lakes. It produces 912MW of electricity at its maximum operating capacity. The Akosombo hydroelectric project (HEP) was meant among others to open up Ghana to rapid industrialization and hence modern development. Other positive impacts of the HEP include fishing, farming, transportation and tourism. However, there are equally negative impacts, some of which the project did not envisage and these are felt on the physical, biological and human subsystems within the immediate project environments and places much more distant from them. Recently, there have been declines in the lake levels resulting most probably from inadequate rainfall and/or runoff from the river catchments that feed the lake, and also from the observed rising temperatures. Comparisons of the runoff from two most important tributaries of the Volta (White Volta and Oti) for two time periods of 1951–1970 and 1971–1990 showed reductions in mean streamflows of 23.1% on the White Volta and 32.5% on the Oti. Similarly, a plot of the mean annual temperatures for the upper Volta basin indicated a 1^C rise in temperature from 1945–1993.     

Dependence on forest resources and tropical deforestation in Ghana

In Ghana, forests provide many products on which the local population subsists. However, these resources are depleting due to a variety of factors including agricultural expansion and over-exploitation of forest resources. This paper presents an analysis of the level of local dependence on forest resources and its implications for forest management in Ghana. The paper also outlines the causes of continuing deforestation in the studied region from the perspective of the local residents and discusses what role they could play in addressing the problem. The aim is to share more light on the current causes of deforestation and make suggestions for improved community-based forest management practices that could help to reduce deforestation. Primary data was collected through personal interviews and focus group discussions with 431 household heads randomly selected from three Forest Districts in Ghana. The survey showed that income from agriculture constituted 60% of the average total rural household income. Forest income provided 38% of total household income, and off-farm income 2%. The four most highly ranked causes of deforestation are poverty-driven agriculture, lack of alternative rural wage employment other than farming, household population levels, and conflict in traditional land practices. This shows a shift in the view of local people who in the past were quick to blame logging companies and government policies for deforestation. The majority of the respondents depended on wild animals like snail, bush meat, wild honey and wild and cultivated vegetables. Given the reasons for deforestation, much thought needs to go into agroforestry practices (e.g. snail farming, bee keeping, fish farming, and vegetable production) in efforts to reduce deforestation, which are currently less promoted. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

模拟酸雨对巢湖底泥营养盐和重金属释放及其影响

通过降低巢湖上覆水pH值以模拟限定条件的酸雨,旨在探究模拟酸雨对巢湖底泥营养盐和重金属释放的影响,以期预测酸雨或者酸性废水对湖泊生态系统稳定性的影响。结果表明:模拟酸雨过后上覆水的pH值均有回升,但强酸性模拟酸雨(pH 4.0)的恢复力较差;试验期间水体中的DO大小顺序始终为对照组试验组(pH 5.5)试验组(pH 4.0);模拟酸雨促进了底泥中氮和磷的的释放,且试验组(pH 4.0)上覆水中TN和TP含量显著高于试验组(pH 5.5)(p0.05);弱酸性模拟酸雨条件下以Fe/Al-P释放为主,强酸性模拟酸雨作用下以Ca-P释放为主;对照组的微囊藻生物量显著高于模拟酸雨组,说明模拟酸雨抑制微囊藻生长;pH值、TN、TP和Fe/Al-P均与底泥中四种主要重金属Pb、Zn、Cd和Cu含量显著相关(P0.05),说明酸雨和营养盐均是影响底泥中重金属赋存形态和释放性的重要因子。     

Spatial pattern of the effects of human activities on the land surface of China and their spatial relationship with the natural environment

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The human–land relationship changes with the development of human society. In the contemporary context in which human activities dominate this...     

中国碳排放权交易促进低碳技术创新机制的研究

碳排放权交易已成为我国实施以市场为基础的重要环境规制之一,但此交易市场建设能否诱发我国低碳技术创新的有关研究仍然不足。以我国七个碳排放权交易试点为研究对象,采用合成控制法进行准自然实验,选取2004—2016年全国282个城市的面板数据,评估碳排放权交易试点政策对低碳技术创新的诱发效果,并使用排列检验法进行有效性检验;进而,定量分析碳排放权交易试点正式运行后对低碳技术创新的影响因素,探索七个试点效果差异的成因。研究发现:①碳排放权交易试点政策整体上诱发了试点地区的低碳技术创新活动。②各试点的政策效果存在一定差异,除重庆外的六个试点对政策响应较为迅速,其中北京、上海的诱发效果最显著,天津、广东、深圳和湖北次之,而重庆试点未能对政策作出充分的响应。③碳排放权交易对低碳技术创新作用中的政策"信号-预期"机制在我国首次得到验证,该机制在除重庆外的试点地区都得到了较好的构建。④碳排放权交易市场建设与区域产业结构升级产生了良好的协同作用,促进低碳技术创新,但其未能与外商直接投资形成相同作用;除重庆外,碳排放权交易这一市场型环境规制与控制型环境规制也呈现出协同作用。据此,应积极推进全国性碳排放权交易市场建设,以发挥其对低碳技术创新的诱发作用;但在统一市场建设过程中应重视地区差异,分步骤稳步推进;还应注重加强政府政策信号管理,引导企业开展低碳技术创新活动。     

升金湖湿地时空演变对越冬鹤类种群动态的影响

升金湖湿地是我国主要的鹤类越冬栖息地之一。研究升金湖湿地时空变化对越冬鹤类种群动态的影响在湿地生态环境改善、鹤类种群恢复等方面具有重要参考价值。对1986～2015年升金湖湿地白头鹤（Grus monacha）、白鹤（Grus leucogeranus）、灰鹤（Grus grus）及白枕鹤（Grus vipio）种群数量的变化趋势分别进行了曲线拟合;结合升金湖湿地1986~2015年间8期遥感影像分析了研究区土地利用/覆盖的时空变化;并探讨了湿地时空变化与越冬鹤类种群数量变化之间的相关性。结果表明：1986~2015年间,研究区的景观格局发生了较大变化,草地、水田、滩涂及其他用地的面积总体呈增加态势,而林地、旱地、水域及芦苇沼泽地面积总体呈减少的态势;4种鹤类的数量总体呈下降趋势,曲线拟合中白鹤和白枕鹤种群数量变化的趋势方程拟合度较高;芦苇沼泽地及水域面积变化与越冬鹤类种群数量呈显著的正相关关系,而草地、滩涂及水田的面积与鹤类种群数量呈较强的负相关关系;其他景观面积变化间接对鹤类种群数量产生影响。 关键词： 时空变化;鹤类;遥感影像;土地利用/覆盖;升金湖     

Study on the investment value and investment opportunity of renewable energies under the carbon trading system

China has promised to start the national carbon trading system in 2017. In the carbon trading system, the renewable energy projects may obtain additional benefits through the Certified Carbon Emission Reduction (CCER) trade. As the carbon price fluctuates along with the market conditions, such fluctuation enables the renewable power projects to acquire the rights of an option, i.e. it may contain an even higher value due to the uncertainties in the future. While making an investment decision, the renewable power companies may choose to make the investment immediately, or postpone the investment and accumulate more information to increase the return of investment; and for immediate investments, the return must be sufficient to exceed the potential value of a waiting option. To study the investment in renewable power projects subject to the fluctuation of carbon price, this paper adopts the trinomial tree model of real options to estimate the net present value (NPV) and real option value (ROV) of three types of renewable power projects; according to the decision-making rules of real options to defer, all the three types of projects will exercise the option to postpone the investment decision. This thesis also calculates the benchmark prices of the three types of renewable projects at different times, in the two situations of having no government subsidy and having the government subsidy, so as to determine the investment opportunity of a project. The benchmark price decreases gradually along with the increase of government subsidy, indicating that the government subsidy will stimulate the investment in renewable projects. The benchmark price also increases gradually along with the lapse of time, indicating that the uncertainty will increase together with the time span and thus requires an even higher carbon price to determine the investment opportunity. This thesis also analyzes the sensitivity of factors affecting the investment in renewable projects and draws the conclusion that the fluctuation of carbon price is positively related with the benchmark price of renewable power projects, which indicates that the fluctuation of carbon price increases the option value of an investment but postpones the time of investment. As the China’s carbon trading system improves gradually, the carbon price will reach a stable status, thus stimulate the power companies to invest in the renewable projects.     

碳交易机制下可再生能源投资价值与投资时机研究

中国承诺2017年启动全国性碳排放交易系统,在碳交易机制下,可再生能源项目可以通过CCER交易获得额外收益。由于碳价格是随着市场条件而随机波动的,碳价波动性使得可再生能源发电项目投资具有了期权性质的权利,即未来不确定性可能包含更高的价值。可再生能源企业在做投资决策时,可以选择立即投资,也可以选择推迟投资,等待更多信息来提高项目收益,而立即投资的项目回报必须足够高以克服等待期权的蕴含价值。为了研究碳价波动下可再生能源项目投资,本文采用实物期权法的三叉树模型,测算了三类可再生能源发电项目投资的npv及其实物期权价值(ROV)。根据延迟实物期权决策规则,三类项目均执行期权延迟投资决策。本文还计算了在无政府补贴和有政府补贴两种情形下,三种可再生能源项目在不同时点的栏杆价格,以确定项目的投资时机。栏杆价格随着政府补贴的增加而逐步下降,说明政府补贴会促进可再生能源项目投资;栏杆价格随着时间的推移而逐步上升,意味着时间跨度越大,不确定性越大,需要更高碳市场价格来确定投资时机。本文对影响可再生能源项目投资因素敏感性进行了分析,结果表明碳价波动率与可再生能源发电项目的栏杆价格呈现正相关的关系,说明碳价波动性增加了企业投资的期权价值,却推迟了企业开展投资的时间。随着中国碳交易体系的不断完善,碳价波动幅度会趋于平稳,从而促进发电企业进行可再生能源发电项目投资。     

Comparative analysis on financial viability of cocoa agroforestry systems in Ghana

This study employs an ex-ante analytical approach to explore the financial viability of cocoa agroforestry systems in Ghana using cross-sectional data on smallholder cocoa farmers in the Western Region of Ghana. The empirical results generally show that cocoa agroforestry systems are profitable, but the medium shade tends to be more profitable. The no-shade cocoa agroforestry has the highest yield compared with other cocoa agroforestry systems. Sensitivity analysis revealed that increasing the market price by 12.2 % tends to increase the profitability of cocoa agroforestry systems. Also increasing fertilizer price does not lead to any significant change in the profitability. The study recommends the medium-shade cocoa agroforestry system as the most profitable agroforestry system for optimizing ecological and economic outcomes of smallholder cocoa farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.     

不同时段洞庭湖区土地利用/覆被变化及退田还湖的影响

土地利用/覆被变化的研究与分析,可以科学阐述区域人-地关系地域系统的结构变化规律、驱动力等,有助于规范人类行为、协调人地关系,从而为更好的进行自然资源综合管理和生态系统管理提供科学依据.本文以1995、2000和2005年的土地利用/覆被变化分析为基础,以退田还湖工程为切入点,系统分析洞庭湖区三个时期的土地利用格局、变化及其驱动力,初步阐述了退田还湖工程这一重要的生态恢复工程对湖区土地利用变化的影响.研究发现,退田还湖工程促进了耕地向湿地的转化,使移民迁入区和迁出区的土地利用结构都会发生重大变化.最后,指出对于洞庭湖区退田还湖工程的实施与管理,各级政府一定要起到宏观调控的指导作用,包括要从战略上予以规范、规划,积极引导人们的土地利用活动向着科学、和谐的方向发展,必要时还需要辅以行政、经济或法律措施,促进各种土地资源间的合理流转,以实现土地利用综合效益的最大化,为区域的适应性和可持续性管理提供了参考依据.     

Mitigation of illegal fishing activities: enhancing compliance with fisheries regulation in Lake Victoria (Kenya)

Overexploitation of living resources severely affects aquatic ecosystems and is among the most serious environmental issues worldwide. Lake Victoria, the second largest fresh water lake in the world, provides food and jobs to almost 30 million people in three African countries and is nowadays facing significant decrease in fish stock due to its unsustainable use. To analyse reasons behind the illegal fishing activities in the Kenyan part of the lake, the survey programme was designed based on a rational choice framework, and data analysis on compliance with fisheries regulatory law was carried out. Selection of explanatory variables to be considered was guided by the “Table of 11”, which is a tool elaborated for the Netherlands’ Ministry of Justice to analyse the regulated community’s behaviour and motivations. Key findings of the study show that existing economic environment and weak enforcement contribute to the low compliance with the fisheries regulations and lead to further degradation of the lake ecosystem.     

Assessment of the processing and sale of marine fish and its effects on the livelihood of women in Mfantseman Municipality,Ghana

Fish is a key source of protein for many households in Ghana. It is also an essential source of income to many households in the coastal communities of Ghana. The importance of the fisheries sector to the socio-economic development of the country cannot be over emphasised. Women dominate the fishing value chain in Ghana but paradoxically, the study of their activities has not attracted the attention of researchers and policy makers. This study examined the processing and sale of smoked marine fish and its effects on the livelihood of women in Mfantseman Municipality. The survey was conducted in four communities. A sample size of 363 was drawn from women in the industry and institutions whose activities are related to the industry. The data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings from the study revealed that the industry offers employment opportunity for the majority of women in the municipality, and it is an important source of income to them. Further, the industry has potentials for reducing poverty and enhancing economic empowerment of women in the district. However, women in the industry are confronted with challenges which include health risks that erode whatever gains made by them. The study concludes that the municipal assembly must spearhead and provide a conducive environment for this economic activity to flourish as a way of reducing poverty among women in the municipality.