Energy vs the environment

Optimal development programs that explicitly account for the environment impacts of extracting energy resources are analyzed. Possibilities of storing the resources above ground once it has been extracted are examined When environmental disruption results from resource extraction, as in the case of strip mining or drilling for oil, then the socially optimal rates of resource consumption and extraction depend on the type and severity of the environmental impact and on the prospects of storing the resource above ground.     

A note on the effect of tax brackets on non-renewable resource extraction

Tax brackets are a common feature of non-renewable resource taxes. Although the introduction of brackets would seem to be an innocuous way of approximating a non-linear tax system, the dynamic effects are surprising. This paper shows that the presence of tax brackets in both a severance tax system and a profits tax system can induce the extractive firm to depart from the well-known monotonically declining extraction profile and to choose instead a profile which has constant extraction rates over some interval of time.     

Environmental change and normalization of cash crop systems in Africa: preventing agrarian change in West Africa cocoa

ABSTRACT

In recent years, environmental and demographic crises have often been associated with increasing hunger and poverty in agrarian societies. The potential of such crisis to play a positive role in the evolution of agriculture and agricultural societies has been overlooked. Environmental crises such as deforestation for example (in a production where forestland is a production factor) are points of resource alteration that require corresponding alterations in farming systems. Normalization occurs when farmers are induced to defy such signals indicating the need to diversify and instead choose to continue along their existing path regardless of the changing resource endowment. In the absence is replacement of the vital production factor such continuity has to be paid for.     

Arsenic speciation and mobility in surface water at Lucky Shot Gold Mine, Alaska

Historical mining in Alaska has created a legacy of approximately 6,830 abandoned mine sites which include adits, tailing piles and contaminated land that continue to impact surface and groundwater quality through run-off and leaching of potentially toxic metals, especially arsenic (As). One such site is the Lucky Shot Gold Mine in Hatcher Pass, south-central Alaska, which operated from 1920 until 1942, mining gold-bearing quartz veins hosted in a Cretaceous tonalite intrusion. Arsenopyrite (FeAsS) and pyrite (FeS₂) present in the quartz veins contribute to elevated As levels in water draining, abandoned mine adits. As future underground mining at Lucky Shot may further adversely impact water quality, baseline geochemical studies were undertaken to assess As mobility in the vicinity of the mine adits. Water samples were collected from streams, adits and boreholes around the mine and analysed for major and minor elements using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and for anions by ion chromatography (IC). Arsenic species separation was performed in the field to determine the ratio of inorganic As(III)/As(V) using anion-exchange chromatography, following established methods. It was determined that water draining the adits had elevated levels of As roughly seventy times the United States Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Standard of 10?μg?L^?1, although this was rapidly diluted downstream in Craigie Creek to <2?μg?L^?1. Adit and surface water pH was circum-neutral and displayed no characteristics of acid mine drainage. Despite being well oxygenated, As(III) is the dominant As species in adit water, accounting for close to 100?% of total As. The proportion of As(V) increases downstream of the adits, as some As(III) is oxidized, but the speciation enhances arsenic mobility at the site. The δ¹⁸O measurements indicate that the water in the system has a short residence time as it is very similar to meteoric water, supporting the observation that the predominance of As(III) in adit water results from the lack of thermodynamical equilibrium being attained and preferential absorbance of As(V).     

Set-up costs and the existence of competitive equilibrium when extraction capacity is limited

Although set-up costs are prevalent and substantial in natural resource extraction, it is known that a Walrasian competitive equilibrium cannot exist in simple extraction models with set-up costs. This paper demonstrates that this result is sensitive to the assumption of unlimited extraction capacity and derives sufficient conditions for existence. An equilibrium exists if extraction is limited such that each firm earns sufficient surplus to cover its set-up costs or if firms choose extraction capacity subject to non-increasing returns. The resulting competitive equilibrium price either grows at the rate of interest when total extraction is below industry capacity or is constant when industry capacity is fully utilized. In the equilibrium, identical deposits are opened simultaneously, and set-up costs for new deposits are incurred when the industry has excess capacity rather than when capacity is fully utilized.     

济宁生态市规划与建设途径

生态市是实现城市社会—经济—自然可持续发展的一种模式和过程。以山东省济宁市为例,提出了济宁生态市建设的战略措施。从资源型城市的产业生态转型、水体和矿山的自然生态修复和孔孟文化的人文生态振兴3方面提出了建设目标;建设框架包括自生型生态环境、竞争型循环经济和共生型和谐社会。主导产业和循环经济建设要促进传统农业和矿山开采型产业向静脉产业、阳光产业、物流产业、文化产业和旅游产业的生态转型;从水资源、水环境、水生态、水景观、水安全和水文化建设几方面提出了水资源保护与水环境治理的综合措施;最后提出了济宁市煤矿塌陷区的生态修复对策和生态文化建设策略。     

Size-dependent characterisation of historical gold mine wastes to examine human pathways of exposure to arsenic and other potentially toxic elements

Abandoned historical gold mining wastes often exist as geographically extensive, unremediated, and poorly contained deposits that contain elevated levels of As and other potentially toxic elements (PTEs). One of the key variables governing human exposure to PTEs in mine waste is particle size. By applying a size-resolved approach to mine waste characterisation, this study reports on the proportions of mine waste relevant to human exposure and mobility, as well as their corresponding PTE concentrations, in four distinct historical mine wastes from the gold province in Central Victoria, Australia. To the best of our knowledge, such a detailed investigation and comparison of historical mining wastes has not been conducted in this mining-affected region. Mass distribution analysis revealed notable proportions of waste material in the readily ingestible size fraction (≤250 µm; 36.1–75.6 %) and the dust size fraction (≤100 µm; 5.9–45.6 %), suggesting a high potential for human exposure and dust mobilisation. Common to all mine waste types were statistically significant inverse trends between particle size and levels of As and Zn. Enrichment of As in the finest investigated size fraction (≤53 µm) is of particular concern as these particles are highly susceptible to long-distance atmospheric transport. Human populations that reside in the prevailing wind direction from a mine waste deposit may be at risk of As exposure via inhalation and/or ingestion pathways. Enrichment of PTEs in the finer size fractions indicates that human health risk assessments based on bulk contaminant concentrations may underestimate potential exposure intensities.     

Restoration of native biotic communities on land disturbed by metalliferous mining

The worldwide expansion of the metalliferous mining industry has caused increased attention to be directed at the reclamation of mine wastes. Until recently the majority of reclamation procedures were based on substrate amelioration with innocuous covering materials, the application of fertilisers and the sowing of non-indigenous species. Reinstatement of the native flora and fauna was rarely attempted. However, in several countries the mining legislation now requires reinstatement of at least the native vegetation as a reclamation objective. Many mines are located in natural ecosystems such as tropical and temperate forest, and arctic and alpine tundra where faithful reinstatement of the native flora and, if possible, the fauna is the prime objective.Despite the adverse physical and chemical properties of metal mine wastes, the requirements for the restoration of native floras and faunas are not impossible to meet. This paper reviews procedures for the restoration of native vegetation on land disturbed by metalliferous mining, and assesses the success of the procedures where appropriate evidence is available. Using these methods it has often been possible to create a permanent, self-perpetuating and relatively maintenance-free native vegetation which provides a diverse mosaic of habitats for native fauna to colonise. However, the development of methods for reinstatement of native biological communities on metalliferous mine wastes is in its infancy. Proper criteria have not yet been established for the assessment of the success of reinstatement and there is a paucity of published qualitative information on the success of restoration of native plant communities, particularly information covering a sufficient period of time to be ecologically meaningful.     

The agricultural impact of opencast coal mining in England and Wales

Opencast coal mining in England and Wales can cause a wide range of environmental problems which are increasingly public issues due to the planned expansion in output and the impact this may have on agriculture and landscape. Opencast mining is reviewed on a county by county basis to identify the variations in the disturbance caused. A detailed review of restoration techniques and the agricultural quality of the restored land is presented, and the role of Planning Authorities is discussed. Significant variations in the impact of opencast operations are identified, especially in relation to the potential for derelict land reclamation and the grade of agricultural land affected. The latter is generally lower grade 3 and below, although in certain areas operations are entering land of higher agricultural and scenic quality. The quality of restoration, while good, still has scope for improvements, such as reducing soil compaction and the subsequent management of the land by the farmer. The impact on agricultural productivity is difficult to assess, but it appears to be only slight in those cases where recent restoration techniques were used and when lower grade agricultural land is taken.     

Extraction capacity and the optimal order of extraction

The least-cost-first extraction rule for deposits with different extraction costs previously has been shown to be invalid in general equilibrium. This paper demonstrates that this rule also does not hold in partial equilibrium when extraction capacity is limited. Necessary and sufficient conditions for several surprising extraction orders are presented. If extraction from a high-cost resource is constrained, it may be optimal to begin extraction from a high-cost deposit (or backstop) strictly before extracting from a lower-cost deposit. If extraction from a low-cost resource is limited, it may be optimal to exhaust a high-cost deposit strictly before the low-cost deposit is exhausted or to abandon extraction temporarily from a high-cost deposit and then to exhaust it later. The analysis demonstrates how extraction constraints affect the order of extraction and shows that certain cost reversals are caused by limited extraction capacity rather than by the general equilibrium definition of extraction costs.     

Arsenic input into the catchment of the River Caudal (Northwestern Spain) from abandoned Hg mining works: effect on water quality

In Asturias (NW Spain) there are many abandoned mines, of which Hg mines are of particular significance from an environmental point of view, due to the presence of Hg and particularly As, which is found either in the form of specific (orpiment and realgar) or non-specific minerals (As-rich pyrite). The instability of these minerals leads to the presence of As-rich mine drainage and spoils heap leachates that enter surface waters or groundwaters. A study including the three most important Hg mines in the region (La Soterraña, Los Rueldos and El Terronal) has been conducted. Watercourses flowing through these mining areas are tributaries of the River Caudal, one of the most important rivers in the area. High concentrations of As were found in some of these waters, which were monitored over a period of three hydrological years and classified according to a water quality index. Those waters sampled close to the mines are generally of poor-to-bad quality, with low alkalinity and in some cases high metal content, but the quality of these waters improves with distance from the mines. The average mass load of As entering the River Caudal has been evaluated as: 200, 12 and 9,800 kg year^?1 from La Soterraña, Los Rueldos and El Terronal mine sites, respectively. Despite the constant input of about 10 tonnes of As per year, the total As concentration remains below analytical detection thresholds on account of the river’s high water flow. Nevertheless, an important part of this As load is presumably retained in the river sediments, representing a potential risk of pollution of the aquatic ecosystems.     

A qualitative characterization of the competitive nonrenewable resource extracting firm

Using variational differential equations, a systematic qualitative analysis is carried out for the competitive nonrenewable resource extracting firm. The parameters of interest are the output price, variable input price, discount rate, lease length, initial resource stock, and various tax rates. The effects of changes in these parameters on the entire optimal time paths of the current shadow value of the stock, the resource stock, and the extraction rate are characterized in the perturbed phase plane.     

天津污灌区土壤重金属污染环境质量与环境效应

污水作为天津解决农业用水不足的手段已经有几十年的历史。文章分析了污灌区土壤一作物系统中Cd、Hg、As、Cu、Pb、Zn和Cr等有毒重金属的质量分数，利用单因子污染指数法和加权综合污染指数法进行污染评价。评价结果表明污灌区土壤受到了严重污染，主要重金属污染元素为Cd、Hg；农作物中的主要超标元素为Cd、As。因此，污灌区重金属污染土壤的修复工作迫在眉睫。     

Antimony speciation and contamination of waters in the Xikuangshan antimony mining and smelting area,China

Water samples from Xikuangshan (China), the world largest antimony (Sb) mine with a Sb mining and smelting history of more than 200 years, were analyzed. These water samples ranged from stream water in the vicinity of the mining and smelting area that received seepage from ore residues to the underground mine-pit drainage. The concentrations of total Sb, Sb (III) and Sb (V) of the samples were determined by HPLC-ICP-MS. In addition, water pH and concentrations of major cations and anions were analyzed. All 18 samples demonstrated total Sb concentrations with ppm levels from 0.33 ppm to 11.4 ppm, which is two to three orders of magnitude higher compared to the typical concentration of dissolved Sb in unpolluted rivers (less than 1 ppb). This is probably the first time that such high Sb contents have been documented with complete environmental information. Distribution of total Sb and Sb species was investigated, taking into account the respective local environment (in the mining area or close to the smelter, etc.). Sb (V) was the predominant valence in all 18 samples. Only trace levels of Sb (III) were detected in 4 of the 18 samples. Geochemical speciation modeling showed the dominant species was Sb(OH)₆⁻. It is also probably the first time that such high Sb contents have been documented in the natural environment with Sb speciation distribution information. Several potential oxidation pathways are also discussed that might have facilitated the oxidation of Sb (III) in the natural environment. Signs of intoxication were observed among local mine workers with extensive exposure to different forms of Sb for a long period of time.     

Wildlife and coal development: An overview

This paper briefly reviews the changes which have occurred in the past three hundred years in the public's attitudes toward our Nation's natural resources, particularly the wildlife resources. It discusses how these changing attitudes have contributed to today's surface coal mine reclamation laws which require that the disturbed land be restored to a level of productivity equal to or greater than that which occurred before mining. This paper stresses the need to manage each reclamation site on an ecosystem basis, recognizing the interrelationships of all the resource components. This paper emphasizes both the fundamental importance of the holistic approach to mine site reclamation and the responsibility that the wildlife biologist has to see to it that wildlife habitat considerations are incorporated into each phase of the reclamation plan. Brief management considerations are given to three unique reclamation habitat types; riparian, agriculture and forest.     

城市人居环境评价体系的研究及应用

在国内外人居环境理论研究及实践的基础上,提出了由系统层、子系统层和指标层构成的城市人居环境评价指标体系,其中系统层由社会经济环境、自然生态环境、公共设施建设、环境资源保护和环境管理能力五部分组成,子系统层由16个指标组成,指标层由43个具体指标组成。利用统计分析法(Delphi)确定各指标的权值。同时,针对本指标体系结构提出了单项评价和综合评价相结合的评价模式,并设置了城市人居环境质量指数和系统协调度两个综合性指标来全面评价城市人居环境质量。通过对重庆市渝北城区的综合评价,评价结果较客观地反映了该城区的实际。     

Heavy metal contamination in the Tanat Valley,North Wales

The Tanat Valley area of North Powys, Wales, has a long history of metalliferous mining, the most active period of extraction being during the 18th century, while the largest mine, Llangynog, was in production until 1899. Ore minerals found in the area include galena (PbS), sphalerite (ZnS) and chalcopyrite (CuFeS2). Below the Llangynog mine the valley is heavily contaminated with elevated levels of Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd in soils and river sediments. On the valley floor subsoil metal levels frequently greatly exceed those of topsoils which probably reflects contamination of the floodplain during the peak period of mining. High levels of base metals in the stream sediments some 2 km downstream of the mine area are thought to be due to river erosion of the contaminated bank material. Contamination derived from the old mine tips results in extremely high levels of heavy metals in soils and stream sediments in the immediate vicinty of the old workings. Some metal contamination is also thought to derive from previously undetected mineralisation.     

Price uncertainty and the exhaustive firm

In the presence of a resource constraint the risk-averse exhaustive firm reacts to price uncertainty in a manner different than its competitive counterpart. In particular: (i) some results are independent of attitudes toward risk; (ii) comparative statics results differ from the no resource constraint case; and (iii) results depend upon the relative magnitudes of the discount rate and quasi-fixed costs. An assumption crucial to the relevance of risk-aversion in an intertemporal setting is the presence of imperfections in capital markets (i.e., the absence of complete contingent commodity markets).     

Incorporating Uncertainty of Management Costs in Sensitivity Analyses of Matrix Population Models

The importance of accounting for economic costs when making environmental‐management decisions subject to resource constraints has been increasingly recognized in recent years. In contrast, uncertainty associated with such costs has often been ignored. We developed a method, on the basis of economic theory, that accounts for the uncertainty in population‐management decisions. We considered the case where, rather than taking fixed values, model parameters are random variables that represent the situation when parameters are not precisely known. Hence, the outcome is not precisely known either. Instead of maximizing the expected outcome, we maximized the probability of obtaining an outcome above a threshold of acceptability. We derived explicit analytical expressions for the optimal allocation and its associated probability, as a function of the threshold of acceptability, where the model parameters were distributed according to normal and uniform distributions. To illustrate our approach we revisited a previous study that incorporated cost‐efficiency analyses in management decisions that were based on perturbation analyses of matrix population models. Incorporating derivations from this study into our framework, we extended the model to address potential uncertainties. We then applied these results to 2 case studies: management of a Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population and conservation of an olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) population. For low aspirations, that is, when the threshold of acceptability is relatively low, the optimal strategy was obtained by diversifying the allocation of funds. Conversely, for high aspirations, the budget was directed toward management actions with the highest potential effect on the population. The exact optimal allocation was sensitive to the choice of uncertainty model. Our results highlight the importance of accounting for uncertainty when making decisions and suggest that more effort should be placed on understanding the distributional characteristics of such uncertainty. Our approach provides a tool to improve decision making.     

Adaptive superparasitism and patch time allocation in solitary parasitoids : the influence of pre-patch experience

Summary Dynamic optimal diet models predict that host selection decisions and patch time allocation are influenced by the resource value of the habitat. We tested these predictions using the solitary' parasitoid Leptopilina heterotoma. Assuming that travel times between patches, the quality of previously visited patches and parasitoid density affect the parasitoids' estimation of the resource value of the habitat, different treatments were given before introducing parasitoids singly to a patch containing 5 unparasitized and 15 parasitized hosts. The decision to superparasitize is only slightly influenced by the rate of patch encounter. The quality of the previously visited patch has a strong influence. When a poor patch has been visited on the previous day, more superparasitism is observed in the partly depleted patch than when a rich patch has been searched. More superparasitism is also observed when the parasitoids are kept with conspecifics before the experiment than when they are kept alone. Increasing patch residence times are observed as the quality of the previously presented patch decreases. Host selection decisions and patch time allocation are thus clearly influenced by the pre-patch experience of the parasitoid, as predicted by dynamic optimal diet models. This can also explain why females that have never oviposited in unparasitized hosts will superparasitize readily. Correspondence to: M.E. Visser