Assessing concentrations and health impacts of air quality management strategies: Framework for Rapid Emissions Scenario and Health impact ESTimation (FRESH-EST)

In air quality management, reducing emissions from pollutant sources often forms the primary response to attaining air quality standards and guidelines. Despite the broad success of air quality management in the US, challenges remain. As examples: allocating emissions reductions among multiple sources is complex and can require many rounds of negotiation; health impacts associated with emissions, the ultimate driver for the standards, are not explicitly assessed; and long dispersion model run-times, which result from the increasing size and complexity of model inputs, limit the number of scenarios that can be evaluated, thus increasing the likelihood of missing an optimal strategy. A new modeling framework, called the “Framework for Rapid Emissions Scenario and Health impact ESTimation” (FRESH-EST), is presented to respond to these challenges. FRESH-EST estimates concentrations and health impacts of alternative emissions scenarios at the urban scale, providing efficient computations from emissions to health impacts at the Census block or other desired spatial scale. In addition, FRESH-EST can optimize emission reductions to meet specified environmental and health constraints, and a convenient user interface and graphical displays are provided to facilitate scenario evaluation. The new framework is demonstrated in an SO₂ non-attainment area in southeast Michigan with two optimization strategies: the first minimizes emission reductions needed to achieve a target concentration; the second minimizes concentrations while holding constant the cumulative emissions across local sources (e.g., an emissions floor). The optimized strategies match outcomes in the proposed SO₂ State Implementation Plan without the proposed stack parameter modifications or shutdowns. In addition, the lower health impacts estimated for these strategies suggest that FRESH-EST could be used to identify potentially more desirable pollution control alternatives in air quality management planning.     

赤水河流域产业状况与综合流域管理策略

赤水河流域位于川、滇、黔3省接壤地带，流域面积 18 932 km2，流经贵州、云南、四川的13个县市。目前，赤水河流域依然是长江上游生态环境、水质最好的一级支流。促进流域环境保护与经济的协调发展，是地区在进行流域管理的难题。通过研究发现，赤水河流域上、中、下游具有显著的产业特点。上游主要以煤电行业为主，污染大，过度垦殖导致水土流失严重；中游以优质白酒为主导的轻工产业为主，但政府发展规划上却突出了重工业发展的重要性；下游地区具有良好的生态环境并开展了初步规模的自然生态旅游，但在产业发展上受到上、中游地区的严重影响和限制。因此，流域的产业发展对整个流域的环境保护和经济可持续发展的影响很大，而现行的流域管理却忽视了产业布局的整体考虑。通过赤水河流域环境问题和产业发展以及相互之间关系的分析，通过综合流域管理的思想，提出建立全流域统一的环境保护机制的策略，把流域的环境特点转化为经济发展的要素，促进流域环境的保护和经济的协调发展。     

差异性区域网格化环境管理初探

差异性区域网格化环境管理是在环境状况存在明显分异区域进行环境管理的有效的方式。依托网格化管理在资源整合和信息共事方面的优势．探讨在环境状况差异明显区域构建网格化管理体系的目标、步骤与管理思路。以上海市宝山区的实践为例．根据区内环境现状差异明显的特征。将全区划分为150个网格．从中选取环境矛盾较为突出的网格．开展区域环境综合整治与环境建设．逐年逐块提升区域网格环境状况．实现区域环境网格等级的提升．初步达成区域生态、生产、生活的协调。实践表明．差异性区域网格化管理是建设环境友好型社会的一种有效的环境管理手段。     

中国水资源管理适应气候变化的研究综述

以全球变暖为特征的气候变化已成为当今科学界、各国政府和社会公众普遍关注的最重要议题之一。气候变化对水资源管理的影响是具有重要学术价值的新兴研究方向,目前的重点研究领域主要包括:气候变化背景下水资源综合管理方式与集成研究,气候变化下水资源适应性管理机制,中国面临的水资源均衡性管理,公众参与水资源适应性管理的政策制定,对减缓措施与水资源可持续发展的认识。主要的研究方法包括:适应气候变化的定性分析方法(多尺度适应综合分析方法)、成本效益分析方法等。适应性管理是目前应对气候变化伴随的不确定性问题的有效策略,未来应在分析中国各流域水资源不确定性问题的基础上,建立气候变化情景下适应气候变化的水资源适应性管理体制机制。     

实施环境-水文-生态-经济协同管理战略,保护和修复长江湖泊群生态环境

长江中下游浅水湖泊群具有十分重要的生态服务功能。然而,该湖群正面临江湖阻隔和富营养化等严重威胁。近年来,湖泊生态环境的保护和修复越来越受到重视,但治理效果不甚明显。其根本原因是:对由流域诸多胁迫导致的湖泊问题缺乏系统全面的认识,导致头痛医头、脚痛医脚。为此,本文提出应对长江湖群实施环境-水文-生态-经济协同管理战略,即在湖泊及其流域实施环境工程以控制入湖污染,实施生态水文工程以恢复自然水文体制,实施生态修复工程以增强生物自净能力,制定水环境经济制度以建立湖泊保护修复的激励和约束机制,构建生态健康评价体系以实施适应性管理,前提是责任主体明确。     

SWOT Analysis and Challenges of Nile Basin Initiative：An Integrated Water Resource Management Perspective

River Nile is one of the longest transboundery rivers and it is shared and used by Burundi,Democratic Republic of Congo,Egypt,Ethiopia,Eritrea,Kenya,Rwanda,Sudan,Tanzania and Uganda.As of today,the Nile is a crucial resource for the economic development of the Nile Basin countries and a vital source of livelihood for 160 million inhabitants as well as 300 million people living in the 10 riparian countries.The Nile Basin Initiative(NBI) is one of the international cooperative river basin management program and regional partnership where all the Nile Basin countries except Eritrea unite to pursue long-term sustainable development,improved land use practices and management.This review therefore focused on the challenges not faced on NBI in terms of integrated use of the river and conducted analysis of strengths,weaknesses,opportunities and threats(SWOT) based on secondary data.The result of the review revealed that for decades,the Nile Basin people have been facing many complex environmental,social,economic and political challenges that have made it difficult for the proper management and sustainability of Nile water.The initiative provides training to develop skills in government ministries,non-governmental organizations and local communities in each country.It is also working to raise awareness of critical environmental issues by strengthening networks of environmental education practitioners;developing curriculum in the education sector.The challenges of NBI include the involvement and funding of World Bank,lack of sufficient staff,procedural and policies conflicts,lack of coordination and linkage with other regional institutions and lack of recognition as river basin organization.Considering the complex nature of the project,it is recommended that the NBI should come up with a strong multi-disciplinary monitoring and evaluation team to follow up all implemented projects.The NBI should carry out participatory land use planning in communities along the river basin.Moreover,livelihood analysis should be carried out especially in communities along the Nile to come up with poverty eradication projects which are socially acceptable,applicable,economically viable and affordable.     

生态流量的法律表达及制度实现

生态流量制度是流域生态环境保护的重要制度保障,是水资源、水环境、水生态“三位一体”保障体系的重要组成部分,是满足水生态承载能力刚性约束的制度体现。目前,水资源开发利用以及水环境污染防治由《水法》以及《水污染防治法》做出了全面规定,而保障水生态功能实现的生态流量则作为水电工程环境影响评价制度的一个因子予以考量,这显然无法达成“维持水体生态功能”之目标。生态流量制度作为保护水生态功能的独立法律制度,应当在涉水立法中予以明确,同时形成完整的生态流量制度体系。基于此,本文对生态流量在立法中的法律表达提出制度建议,包括:①生态流量底线是为了满足流域及其周边区域原有生态系统功能所需要的水流数量以及水文过程的最低要求。生态流量底线制度包括生态流量底线的划定、生态流量监测以及生态流量底线的适应性管理。②流域生态流量协议,是在生态流量底线之上企业与政府达成的更高标准的生态流量约束,是企业与政府合作进行生态环境治理的新模式;是政府、企业、社会共同保障水生态的制度体现;它在公众参与的基础上形成流域规则嵌套,通过绿色水电认证提高企业落实的积极性。③生态流量法律责任制度依据生态流量底线和流域生态流量协议为用水主体设置的不同义务,分别规定了不同的法律责任。违反生态流量底线要求且拒不改正的按日连续处罚,体现出督促企业遵守生态流量底线要求的立法目的;仅违反流域生态流量协议而未突破生态流量底线要求的,则追究其违约责任,撤销其已享受的生态环境优惠,体现对其违背契约精神的惩罚。     

SWOT Analysis and Challenges of Nile Basin Initiative: An Integrated Water Resource Management Perspective

Abstract

River Nile is one of the longest transboundery rivers and it is shared and used by Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. As of today, the Nile is a crucial resource for the economic development of the Nile Basin countries and a vital source of livelihood for 160 million inhabitants as well as 300 million people living in the 10 riparian countries. The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is one of the international cooperative river basin management program and regional partnership where all the Nile Basin countries except Eritrea unite to pursue long-term sustainable development, improved land use practices and management. This review therefore focused on the challenges not faced on NBI in terms of integrated use of the river and conducted analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) based on secondary data. The result of the review revealed that for decades, the Nile Basin people have been facing many complex environmental, social, economic and political challenges that have made it difficult for the proper management and sustainability of Nile water. The initiative provides training to develop skills in government ministries, non-governmental organizations and local communities in each country. It is also working to raise awareness of critical environmental issues by strengthening networks of environmental education practitioners; developing curriculum in the education sector. The challenges of NBI include the involvement and funding of World Bank, lack of sufficient staff, procedural and policies conflicts, lack of coordination and linkage with other regional institutions and lack of recognition as river basin organization. Considering the complex nature of the project, it is recommended that the NBI should come up with a strong multi-disciplinary monitoring and evaluation team to follow up all implemented projects. The NBI should carry out participatory land use planning in communities along the river basin. Moreover, livelihood analysis should be carried out especially in communities along the Nile to come up with poverty eradication projects which are socially acceptable, applicable, economically viable and affordable.     

Integrated models for environmental management: Issues of process and design

Integration has become an important element of natural resource management over recent decades, and managers are now required to consider the social, economic, ecological, and bio-physical effects of alternative management interventions. The problem of managing across many issues is sometimes tackled by putting together a number of individual models. For this approach to work effectively, attention must be paid to both the technical details of the interactions between system components and also to the processes through which these integrated models are developed. This paper explores technical and social aspects of the development of integrated models for environmental management, and discusses two cases within which open modelling and interface prototyping processes were undertaken. The results of this exploration suggest that, for models to be used and accepted widely in integrated environmental management, developers must undertake a process that involves stakeholders and potential users, that exploits the current knowledge, and that illustrates the influence of uncertainty in the technical knowledge. This requires strict attention to the social and technical process of modelling, as well as additional skills in group facilitation and shared vision exploration, so that user expectations can be developed and met in such a way that the best information available is used by decision makers.     

基于G1赋权模型的生态城市发展管理评价

以生态城市的发展管理评价作为研究对象,界定了发展管理评价的内涵,认为其具有相互作用和对称破缺等非线性特征,适宜于采用G1赋权模型,以崇明生态岛为例做出了应用研究,初步实现了生态城市发展管理的非线性评价。结果显示,崇明生态岛建设的管理能力指数达到67.81,管理机制指数只有52.39,公众参与指数是59.91,综合管理指数是59.65,表明可持续发展管理水平接近于良好可持续性。鉴于"投资力度超强,管理深度不够"的失衡特征,亟待管理改进。为此,给出主要建议如下:明确综合管理定位,大力推进管理机制的创新和完善,强化社会参与机制;明确行动方略,改变投资扩张型的建设体制模式和运作机制;明确政策重点,推进属地管理和流域管理、强化空间集约管理、统筹城乡数字化网络化发展。应用研究显示,G1赋权模型是生态城市发展管理工作实现非线性评价的有效途径之一,可以接近其非线性判断需求,科学揭示管理诸要素的属性特征和相互关系,有助于合理反映当地管理水平并提出有针对性的改进建议。     

Laying a solid foundation for sustainable development in Bolivian mountain villages

In Bolivia, recent decentralisation policies have broadened the participation of local actors in development processes. However, development is far from sustainable, and poverty and natural resources degradation still increase. The challenge is to develop strategies that achieve the genuine participation of poor farmers in natural resources management and sustainable development. The logical strategy, which was developed and validated in five Bolivian mountain villages, is an example. In this strategy, first a solid foundation for sustainable development is laid, with activities focussing on five basic conditions for sustainable development in rural villages: leadership and organisation, responsible participation, effective collaboration, mutual trust and environmental awareness. The results show that the existence of a solid foundation is crucial for the success of other development activities, such as soil and water conservation activities. However, given that 2 years after the project’s withdrawal the firmness of the foundation had slightly weakened, it was concluded that a better integration of these villages in local development processes is essential to profit from the new dynamics. This is especially true for soil and water conservation. To achieve this integration, municipalities—with the support of international development agencies—must be encouraged to invest in laying this solid foundation in rural villages and in facilitating follow-up activities to keep the dynamic process going. This study shows that such investments result in better organised villages, more equality, and the genuine participation of more people in sustainable village development. Effective collaboration and accountability at institutional level are, however, required.     

The research-policy nexus in climate change adaptation: experience from the urban water sector in South East Queensland,Australia

Despite an exponential growth in the volume of adaptation research over the last decade, there is still a research gap in regard to the provision of suitable information to adequately inform climate change adaptation policy makers. Contributing to this gap is a paucity of research reporting on the effectiveness of implemented adaptation strategies. This paper reports on the success, failures and future risks of the responses taken by the South East Queensland (SEQ) water sector during the Millennium Drought. The adaptation strategy employed a portfolio approach mixing ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ adaptations. Strategies included the following: large-scale water manufacturing facilities and distribution networks; the exploitation of local water resources; regulatory instruments; institutional reforms; support for research and training and a range of demand management programmes. The strategies employed were innovative and in many cases required rigorous scientific evidence for their development, implementation and follow-up assessments. However, we show that there has been considerable disparity between anticipated and actual policy outcomes, which points to maladaptive consequences. By revisiting the effectiveness of implemented adaptation strategies in the SEQ water sector, our paper provides evidence for the need for integrative studies with genuine policy integration.     

三峡库区资源与环境一体化管理的机构、法律、制度初探

流域管理在国家区域开发和环境保护中具有极为重要的地位,国外在流域管理方面有成熟的经验和新的发展趋势。通过分析国外流域管理的经验和发展趋势,结合三峡 区管理的现状以及建库后可能因管理而出现的问题,就如何在三峡库区更加有效的实行资源与环境的综合管理,如何建立和完善适合三峡库区实行更为有效的管理框架和模式等方面的构想。     

长江流域治理开发对生态与环境的改善和保护作用

长江流域治理开发是长江治理、开发、保护和管理的总称，包括流域治理、水资源开发利用、水资源保护、水土保持生态建设以及流域管理等内容，经过建国以来半个多世纪的发展和努力，长江流域治理开发取得了巨大的成就。在可持续发展战略和和谐社会思想的指导下，流域治理开发与生态环境建设息息相关，正确评价长江流域治理开发对生态与环境的改善和保护作用，对于促进治江事业的健康发展，充分发挥其生态环境效益具有十分重要的意义。通过对长江流域近五十多年来治理开发的总结归纳，分别从治理、开发、保护和管理等角度分析和总结了其对生态环境的保护和改善作用，认为长江流域治理开发总体上对生态、环境保护发挥了充分和积极的作用。     

Sustainable management of transboundary river basins: a line of reasoning

This paper identifies a line of reasoning based on a number of concepts and tools to facilitate river basin management, which have been applied in a case study. For long-term sustainable river basin management, a balance is needed between the human use of the river and its basin, the ecological functioning of the river and receiving waters, and the river's capacity to supply goods and services. To find such a balance a framework is needed that illustrates and clarifies possible trade-offs between economic use and environmental supply by integrating scientific information on cause–effect chains on a catchment scale. A number of concepts and tools are proposed as a basis for this framework. The tools are: (1) indicators that describe the complex interactions and processes in rivers; (2) a suite of linked models that predict the economic, environmental and ecological effect of management measures; (3) an evaluation framework to rank different management alternatives on the basis of three objectives: economic efficiency, spatial equity in costs and benefits and environmental quality of the river and receiving lakes. The concept of environmental quality defines the potential of the river environment (i.e. natural capital) to contribute to human welfare. The concept of environmental functions is used to identify societal interest in natural capital. The concept and tools have been applied in a case study involving the evaluation of four management strategies on nutrient abatement in the Rhine basin. The result of the case study is that economic efficiency is in conflict with spatial equity and environmental quality. Spatial equity is in agreement with environmental quality. Electronic Publication     

Multiscale Methodological Framework to Derive Criteria and Indicators for Sustainability Evaluation of Peasant Natural Resource Management Systems

Design and implementation of more sustainable natural resource management systems is the current objective of many research institutions, development agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders. But, how to assess whether a system is sustainable? How do we know whether the alternatives designed will increase the sustainability of the system? How to evaluate or assess the sustainability of natural resource management systems?In this paper we present a multiscale methodological framework for sustainability evaluation. The framework is based on a systems approach from which five general attributes of sustainable natural resource management systems are defined based on scale- and discipline-independent properties (productivity, stability, resilience, reliability and adaptability).A general operational strategy to derive ‘site-specific’ criteria and indicators for the attributes at different scales is also presented. This strategy is based on the definition of ‘impact scales’, at which the different stakeholders can or want to design alternatives, as well as the main stakeholders’ objectives and constraints. The application of the multiscale framework is illustrated with a case study in the Purhepecha Region of Michoacán, a peasant mountainous region in the west of Mexico. We used stakeholder consultation to identify the main objectives and constraints as well as to select criteria and indicators. The sets of criteria and indicators suggested for the different scales of analysis of the Purhepecha Region are comprehensive, yet not exhaustive, and represent the main issues related to natural resource management in the region. Further work will be directed towards the quantification of indicators at different scales and their relationships and trade-offs.     

Roles of State Strategy of Adaptation to Climate Change in China

For the adverse impacts of climate change, China government should place the problem of adaptation to climate change on the agenda. It is time to institute and implement a state adaptive strategy to reduce the adverse impacts on economy, community and people＇s health and life by international cooperation and our own endeavor. A state strategy of adaptation to climate change should be closely linked with other current interrelated national strategies, and they should be supplemented and improved by each other. This paper discusses the roles of the state strategy of adaptation to climate change in the state climate change integrative strategy, the environmental protection strategy, and the sustainable development strategy in China. Furthermore, it proposes the main aims of the state adaptive strategy of China.     

基于制度与技术情境的企业绿色管理战略研究

企业绿色管理已有研究将制度和技术在两个不同的领域进行分析,忽视了绿色管理是对制度和技术压力的反应,两种压力同时并存甚至相互影响.技术创新的"正外部性"和环境问题的"负外部性"要求在分析企业绿色管理行为时,整合制度和环境技术创新以及二者的相互关系.已有文献普遍强调作为强制性制度的环境规制对技术创新的驱动效果,而较少关注制度压力与技术创新的交互作用.通过对企业面临的制度压力和技术压力相互关系的分析,本文构建了基于制度与技术情境的企业绿色管理战略选择模型.企业绿色管理战略是制度压力和环境技术等因素相互作用的结果,对制度压力的反应有助于技术效率的提高,而企业所处的制度情境也影响到其对技术压力的响应方式.针对我国目前的环境监管现状,本文为制定有助于清洁技术采纳和扩散的环境政策提出相应建议.     

Watershed environmental management framework based on economic theory

Based on the meaning of economic theory as well as analysis of relevant characteristics of watershed environmental management, a watershed environmental management framework will be created, with building systems of theory, principles, methods, and supporting measures. Through the general structure, the watershed environmental management system design can be explored to optimize the allocation of resources and achieve coordinated development of watershed economic growth and environmental protection.     

Review on the Progress of Marine Ecosystem Management

Along with the industrial development, adverse impacts on the natural environment become more serious, and ecosystem health and ecological security have also been deteriorated. The traditional environment management focused on the shorterm and economic benefits. Such managing pattern is not accommodating to the new situation of increasingly global environment problems and large scale marine environment problems. This paper introduces the advance and definition of a new managing patternecosystem management. Meanwhile, the con- notation of ecosystem management was summarized as seven points： Sustainability; Human is an important aspect of ecosystem management; Cooperation is the foundation of ecosystem management; Maintain health and security of ecosystem; Ecological diversity protection characters ecosystem management; Maintain the integrity of ecosystem; Ecosystem management must be founded on scientific theories and precise information. Somebody said Ecosystem Management is ＂a new label of old ideas＂. However, there is an essential difference between ecosystem management and traditional environmental management. In the last part of this paper, the differences of the approaches between ecosystem management and traditional environmental management are compared.