重庆市环境库兹涅茨曲线检验与分析

随着经济持续发展,西部地区环境与经济矛盾日益突出,为研究西部地区经济与环境关系,本文以重庆市为例,选取1990年~2011年共22年的经济指标(人均GDP)与污染物(废水、工业废气、工业固体废弃物等)排放量为环境指标,建立经济与环境指标的协同演化模型,绘制环境库兹涅茨曲线并对重庆市经济与环境协同发展关系进行研究;结果表明:重庆市人均GDP与工业废水排放量之间呈现明显EKC关系,其转折点为2005年,即人均GDP为10982元;重庆市人均GDP与工业SO2排放量及与工业烟尘排放量和工业固体废物排放的良性关系出现和将要出现在2010年和2015年;重庆市人均GDP与总体的工业"三废"排放量之间呈现出明显的倒"U"EKC关系,2006年以后,随着人均GDP的增加,工业"三废"排放量不断减少,2011年时,工业"三废"排放量趋于平缓。由此也说明,重庆市工业"三废"排放量有明显好转的趋势。     

烟台市水环境污染与经济发展的关系研究

对烟台市2001～2017年水环境质量与经济发展的系列数据进行收集、整理及分析后,建立以环境库兹涅茨曲线(EKC)及其相关理论为基础的烟台市人均GDP与烟台市水环境污染指标的计量模型.对结果进行分析后发现:烟台市工业污水排放量对数值与人均GDP对数值间关系呈倒"N"形曲线,烟台市城乡居民生活污水排放量与人均GDP间关系...     

浙江省环境污染与经济发展关系的实证研究

本文在环境库兹涅茨曲线假设基础上,采用1991—2014年浙江省环境和经济数据,运用回归模型对其环境污染与经济发展的关系进行实证检验。结果表明:浙江工业废水、工业废气、工业SO2排放量和工业固体废弃物产生量均符合EKC假设,其中工业SO2和工业废水人均排放量与人均GDP呈倒U形关系,拐点分别出现在2005年与2010年;工业废气排放量和工业固体废弃物产生量尚处于倒U形左侧上升阶段,其中工业固体废弃物人均产生量已接近拐点。而生活污水排放量与EKC假设并不相符,人均生活污水排放量与人均GDP呈单调递增的线形关系。对EKC驱动因子的分析表明,加强政府环境治理,以不断完善的环境法规推动产业结构升级调整,以持续的技术进步与创新促进关键行业节能减排,有利于克服规模效应,推动浙江环境污染与经济发展的关系早日实现解耦。     

哈密市大气环境库兹涅茨曲线特征分析

以哈密市1988—2006年经济增长（GDP）和大气环境质量数据为研究对象,分析各类典型大气污染指标与人均GDP之间的关系,建立哈密市大气环境污染物排放浓度与人均GDP增长之间的回归模型,结果表明：哈密市SO2、NO2、TSP排放浓度与人均GDP增长之间基本符合标准的倒“U”型的环境库兹涅茨曲线特征。     

攀枝花市环境质量变化与经济发展相关性分析——基于环境库兹涅茨曲线(EKC)特征

根据环境库兹涅茨曲线原理,选取攀枝花市2006~2016年的经济与环境数据,运用Eviews软件对经济因子与环境因子进行相关性分析,建立了模拟经济因子与环境因子之间动态回归模型。研究结果表明,攀枝花市环境空气质量、工业废气首要污染物二氧化硫排放量、废水排放量和人均GDP均呈现显著相关性,符合库兹涅茨曲线倒"U"或倒"N"模型,拐点均出现在人均GDP达60 391元的2012年前后,说明攀枝花市政府严格执行了各项环境保护政策,环境监管力度和环保投入也日益加大,当地环境质量得到大幅改善,经济发展与环境质量改善实现双赢,环保效益日益显现。     

云南省能源消耗与经济增长关系的实证研究

根据云南省36年主要年份能源消耗的统计数据以及相应年份人均GDP统计数据,对单位GDP能源消耗与人均GDP之间的相关关系进行了分析,选取相关能耗指标(煤炭消耗量、石油消耗量、天然气消耗量、电力消耗量),建立两者之间的计量模型,并在此基础上分析单位GDP能源消耗与人均GDP增长的关系。经研究发现,云南省单位GDP能源消耗与人均GDP增长呈类似于EKC的倒U型曲线,且当今曲线已过转折点,单位GDP能源消耗随人均GDP增长将持续下降。因此,有必要采取有力措施进一步降低单位GDP能源消耗,倡导"循环经济"、"绿色GDP"等,使曲线走势向更加良好、完善的方向演变。     

辽宁省经济发展与环境污染水平计量模型研究

选取辽宁省1981-2009年经济与环境数据,通过计量模型探讨辽宁省经济增长与环境质量的演替轨迹.结果表明,1981-2009年辽宁省环境库兹涅茨曲线大体呈现“倒U形+U形+倒U形”特征,即“M形”,表明辽宁省的综合环境污染水平随经济增长呈现波动变化;工业废水排放量、工业废气排放量、工业固体废物产生量等单项指标的环境库兹涅茨曲线形态分别为“U形”曲线左侧部分、“U形+倒U形”和“U形”曲线右侧部分;进一步分析表明,辽宁省EKC特征与工业结构变化、环境保护投资等有显著相关性.     

昆明市特征污染物增长的环境库兹涅茨特征研究

本文通过对昆明市主城区2002~2007年人均GDP与城市污染物增长数据进行分析并拟合,计算表明:昆明市主城区工业废水排放倒"U"型曲线的转折点位于人均GDP 24785.72元处,对应的工业废水峰值,约1426.77万吨。SO2排放倒"U"型曲线转折点位于24005元处,而对应的SO2排放峰值,约29417.6吨。说明昆明市工业废水及SO2污染已经越过EKC的理论计算转折点,将来一段时间昆明市污染物排放总量将会继续减缓。     

中国环境污染的库兹涅茨曲线检验——基于1997～2006年的面板数据的实证分析

选取我国1997～2006年间省际大气污染、污水和固体废弃物（“三废”）等环境质量指标的面板数据,对中国经济发展与环境污染关系进行了库兹涅茨曲线检验。实证分析表明,在时间区间内经济增长对环境质量有缓慢的改善作用,其他因素对“三废”指标的作用并不确定。发展指标与环境指标更多地呈现N或倒N型曲线关系,环境库兹涅茨曲线在中国省级层面面板数据层面并不成立。     

珠三角城市群经济增长与环境污染关系研究

基于1996—2016年经济增长和环境污染相关数据,采用聚类法对珠三角城市群进行分类,同时利用回归模型拟合各个城市的EKC曲线。研究结果表明:从整体来看,珠三角城市群的人均GDP与环境污染之间具有显著关系;各个城市的EKC曲线所呈现出的特征不尽相同,既有"倒U"型、"N"型和"S"型,也有"倒N"型;从EKC曲线的拐点来看,多数城市的环境污染已经超过EKC曲线的拐点,并且正处于下降的阶段。     

Conversion of temperate forests into heaths: Role of ecosystem disturbance and ericaceous plants

Fire and logging in nutrient-poor temperate forests with certain ericaceous understory plants may convert the forests into heaths. The process of disturbance-induced heath formation is documented by using examples ofCalluna in western Europe,Kalmia in Newfoundland, andGaultheria (salal) in coastal British Columbia. In a cool, temperate climate, rapid vegetative growth ofCalluna, Kalmia, and salal following disturbance results in increasing organic accumulation (paludification), nutrient sequestration, soil acidification, and allelochemicals. These are thought to be the main reasons to conifer regeneration failure in disturbed habitats. If continuation in forest is a land-use objective, then temperate forests with an ericaceous understory should not be logged unless effective silvicultural methods are devised to control the ericaceous plants and restore forest regeneration. Preharvest vegetation control may be considered as an option. Failure to control the understory plants may lead to a long-term vegetation shift, from forest to heathland, particularly in nutrient-poor sites. Successful methods of controllingKalmia andGaultheria, however, have yet to be developed. While theKalmia- andGaultheria- dominated heathlands are undesirable in Canada and the Pacific Northwest, a wide range ofCalluna heathlands of western Europe are being conserved as natural and seminatural vegetation.     

Urban ecological systems: scientific foundations and a decade of progress

Urban ecological studies, including focus on cities, suburbs, and exurbs, while having deep roots in the early to mid 20th century, have burgeoned in the last several decades. We use the state factor approach to highlight the role of important aspects of climate, substrate, organisms, relief, and time in differentiating urban from non-urban areas, and for determining heterogeneity within spatially extensive metropolitan areas. In addition to reviewing key findings relevant to each state factor, we note the emergence of tentative "urban syndromes" concerning soils, streams, wildlife and plants, and homogenization of certain ecosystem functions, such as soil organic carbon dynamics. We note the utility of the ecosystem approach, the human ecosystem framework, and watersheds as integrative tools to tie information about multiple state factors together. The organismal component of urban complexes includes the social organization of the human population, and we review key modes by which human populations within urban areas are differentiated, and how such differentiation affects environmentally relevant actions. Emerging syntheses in land change science and ecological urban design are also summarized. The multifaceted frameworks and the growing urban knowledge base do however identify some pressing research needs.     

Neighbourhood characteristics and urban gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area: staffing and voluntarism,food production,infrastructure, and sustainability practices

Urban gardens are important sources of sustenance for communities with limited access to food. Hence, this study focuses on food production in gardens in the Toledo metropolitan area in Northwest Ohio. We administered surveys to 150 garden managers from November 2014 to February 2015 in our attempt to better understand how neighbourhood racial composition and poverty levels are related to staffing and voluntarism, food production and distribution, the development of infrastructure, and the adoption of sustainability practices in urban gardens. The results from 30 gardens are presented in this paper. We used Geographic Information Systems to map the gardens and overlay the map with 2010 census data so that we could conduct demographic analyses of the neighbourhoods in which the gardens were located. Though the gardens were small – two acres or less – up to 46 varieties of food were grown in a single garden. Gardens also operated on small budgets. Food from the gardens was gifted or shared with friends, family, and neighbourhood residents. Gardens in predominantly minority neighbourhoods tended to have fewer institutional partners, less garden infrastructure, and had adopted fewer sustainable practices than gardens in predominantly White neighbourhoods. Nonetheless, residents of predominantly minority and high-poverty neighbourhoods participated in garden activities and influenced garden operations. Volunteering and staffing were racialised and gendered.     

Predicting deer-vehicle collisions in an urban area

Collisions with deer and other large animals are increasing, and the resulting economic costs and risks to public safety have made mitigation measures a priority for both city and wildlife managers. We created landscape models to describe and predict deer-vehicle collision (DVCs) within the City of Edmonton, Alberta. Models based on roadside characteristics revealed that DVCs occurred frequently where roadside vegetation was both denser and more diverse, and that DVCs were more likely to occur when the groomed width of roadside right-of-ways was smaller. No DVCs occurred where the width of the vegetation-free or manicured roadside buffer was greater than 40 m. Landscape-based models showed that DVCs were more likely in more heterogeneous landscapes where road densities were lower and speed limits were higher, and where non-forested vegetation such as farmland was in closer proximity to larger tracts of forest. These models can help wildlife and transportation managers to identify locations of high collision frequency for mitigation. Modifying certain landscape and roadside habitats can be an effective way to reduce deer-vehicle collisions.     

Surface applied water treatment residuals affect bioavailable phosphorus losses in Florida sands

Water treatment residuals (WTR) can reduce runoff P loss and surface co-application of P-sources and WTR is a practical way of land applying the residuals. In a rainfall simulation study, we evaluated the effects of surface co-applied P-sources and an Al-WTR on runoff and leacheate bioavailable P (BAP) losses from a Florida sand. Four P-sources, namely poultry manure, Boca Raton biosolids (high water-soluble P), Pompano biosolids (moderate water-soluble P), and triple super phosphate (TSP) were surface applied at 56 and 224kgPha(-1) (by weight) to represent low and high soil P loads typical of P- and N-based amendments rates. The treatments further received surface applied WTR at 0 or 10gWTRkg(-1) soil. BAP loss masses were greater in leachate (16.4-536mg) than in runoff (0.91-46mg), but were reduced in runoff and leachate by surface applied WTR. Masses of total BAP lost in the presence of surface applied WTR were less than approximately 75% of BAP losses in the absence of WTR. Total BAP losses from each of the organic sources applied at N-based rates were not greater than P loss from TSP applied at a P-based rate. The BAP loss at the N-based rate of moderate water-soluble P-source (Pompano biosolids) was not greater than BAP losses at the P-based rates of other organic sources tested. The hazards of excess P from applying organic P-sources at N-based rates are not greater than observed at P-based rates of mineral fertilizer. Results suggest that management of the environmental P hazards associated with N-based rates of organic materials in Florida sands is possible by either applying P-sources with WTR or using a moderate water-soluble P-source.     

Animal Consciousness and Ethics in Asia and the Pacific

The interactions between humans, animals and the environment have shaped human values and ethics, not only the genes that we are made of. The animal rights movement challenges human beings to reconsider interactions between humans and other animals, and maybe connected to the environmental movement that begs us to recognize the fact that there are symbiotic relationships between humans and all other organisms. The first part of this paper looks at types of bioethics, the implications of autonomy and the value of being alive. Then the level of consciousness of these relationships are explored in survey results from Asia and the Pacific, especially in the 1993 International Bioethics Survey conducted in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, The Philippines, Russia, Singapore and Thailand. Very few mentioned animal consciousness in the survey, but there were more biocentric comments in Australia and Japan; and more comments with the idea of harmony including humans in Thailand. Comparisons between questions and surveys will also be made, in an attempt to describe what people imagine animal consciousness to be, and whether this relates to human ethics of the relationships. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Rehabilitation and Flood Management Planning in a Steep,Boulder-Bedded Stream

This study demonstrates the integration of rehabilitation and flood management planning in a steep, boulder-bedded stream in a coastal urban catchment on the South Island of New Zealand. The Water of Leith, the primary stream flowing through the city of Dunedin, is used as a case study. The catchment is steep, with a short time of concentration and rapid hydrologic response, and the lower stream reaches are highly channelized with floodplain encroachment, a high potential for debris flows, significant flood risks, and severely degraded aquatic habitat. Because the objectives for rehabilitation and flood management in urban catchments are often conflicting, a number of types of analyses at both the catchment and the reach scales and careful planning with stakeholder consultation were needed for successful rehabilitation efforts. This included modeling and analysis of catchment hydrology, fluvial geomorphologic assessment, analysis of water quality and aquatic ecology, hydraulic modeling and flood risk evaluation, detailed feasibility studies, and preliminary design to optimize multiple rehabilitation and flood management objectives. The study showed that all of these analyses were needed for integrated rehabilitation and flood management and that some incremental improvements in stream ecological health, aesthetics, and public recreational opportunities could be achieved in this challenging environment. These methods should be considered in a range of types of stream rehabilitation projects.     

AN INDEX FOR MEASURING THE PERFORMANCE OF IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WITH AN APPLICATION1

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a statistically valid index for measuring the performance of irrigation systems. The index is applied to a sample of 39 farms on a watercourse under the warabandi system of irrigation management in India. It is found that while the farmers in fact irrigated almost exactly the total amount of irrigated area as designed, inter-farm variations were considerable. The index shows that the degree of error of managerial effectiveness of irrigation on this watercourse is 20 percent. Therefore it is concluded that the system is performing at 80 percent effectiveness.     

WATER LOSS EQUATIONS AND COEFFICIENTS TO ESTIMATE RUNOFF FROM RAINFALL1

Infiltration models are based on physical characteristics of the soil and initial soil moisture. For a given soil it is based on the initial soil moisture distribution. A computer simulation model for flood runoff systems (FH-Model) was used to analyze 39 sets of rainfall-runoff data on four small watersheds ranging in size from 17 to 342 square kilometers located in the Yamaska River basin in Quebec. From these analyses, parameters and coefficients have been determined for a water loss (infiltration) equation. A method for determining the loss parameters, using a nonlinear least square curve fitting technique, is presented. Expressions were made to relate the loss parameters to antecedent precipitation. The equations were tested on 11 storm rainfall and runoff events on a watershed located in the same region and close agreements were found.     

Vegetation dynamics in impounded marshes along the Indian River Lagoon,Florida, USA

Data are presented on the vegetation dynamics of two impounded marshes along the Indian River Lagoon, in east-central Florida, USA. Vegetation in one of the marshes (IRC 12) was totally eliminated by overflooding and by hypersaline conditions (salinities over 100 ppt) that developed there in 1979 after the culvert connecting the marsh with the lagoon was closed. Over 20% recovery of the herbaceous halophytesSalicornia virginica, S. bigelovii, andBatis maritima was observed at that site after the culvert was reopened in 1982, but total cover in the marsh remains well below the original 75%. No recovery of mangroves was observed at this site. The second site (SLC 24), while remaining isolated from the lagoon during much of the study, did not suffer the complete elimination of vegetation experienced at the first site. At this location, mangroves increased in cover and frequency with a concomitant decrease in herbaceous halophytes. Considerable damage to the vegetation was evident at IRC 12 when the impoundment was closed and flooded for mosquito control in 1986. Although the damage was temporary, its occurrence emphasizes the need of planning and constant monitoring and adjustment of management details as conditions within particular marshes change. Storms and hurricanes may be important in promoting a replacement of black mangroves by red mangroves in closed impoundments because the former cannot tolerate pneumatophore submergence for long periods of time. University of Florida-IFAS Journal Series R-00521.