A regional environmental quality management model: An assessment

The principal purpose of this paper is to discuss the research and policy lessons learned from a large environmental quality management model constructed for the Lower Delaware River Valley Region, The policy lessons involve estimates of the costs of meeting varying standards on air and water quality and the impact on those costs of certain region-wide management alternatives. The research lessons concern: (a) the desirability of considering air and water quality, and solid waste disposal, simultaneously in a single model; (b) the costs of and returns to including nonlinear models of natural systems in a regional optimization framework; and (c) the feasibility of working with constraints on the geographic distribution of the costs of environmental quality improvement within the regional, nonlinear model.     

Substituting pollution taxation for general taxation: Some implications for efficiency in pollutions taxation

Earlier papers have recognized that nonenvironmental benefits will be realized if pollution taxes are substituted for other taxes which impose efficiency losses on society. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of these nonenvironmental benefits for the design of an efficient pollution tax. It is found that the efficient tax may be higher or lower than that conventionally defined as optimal, and that the net benefit from unrestrained pollution can have important implications for the size of the tax.     

The age of E-mail Submission has passed — The Age of ESS Submission has arrived

Preface

The age of E-mail Submission has passed — The Age of ESS Submission has arrived     

Environmental problems affect ecological balance of animal species in Brazil

Summary In this short article the author analyses some of the causes for the recent depletion in the natural fauna and wildlife of Brazil. A plea for support in their protection is made.Dr Walter Leal Filho is a Brazilian biologist who has recently completed a PhD programme in Environmental Sciences at Bradford University, UK. He has been collaborating in a wide range of conservationist projects in Brazil and has published a number of articles and papers promoting the conservation of Brazilian fauna and flora, including the bookEcology and Education.     

THE IMPACT OF RUNOFF GENERATION MECHANISMS ON THE LOCATION OF CRITICAL SOURCE AREAS1

ABSTRACT: Identifying phosphorus (P) source areas and transport pathways is a key step in decreasing P loading to natural water systems. This study compared the effects of two modeled runoff generation processes ‐ saturation excess and infiltration excess ‐ on total phosphorus (TP) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations in 10 catchment streams of a Catskill mountain watershed in southeastern New York. The spatial distribution of runoff from forested land and agricultural land was generated for both runoff processes; results of both distributions were consistent with Soil Conservation Service‐Curve Number (SCS‐CN) theory. These spatial runoff distributions were then used to simulate stream concentrations of TP and SRP through a simple equation derived from an observed relation between P concentration and land use; empirical results indicate that TP and SRP concentrations increased with increasing percentage of agricultural land. Simulated TP and SRP stream concentrations predicted for the 10 catchments were strongly affected by the assumed runoff mechanism. The modeled TP and SRP concentrations produced by saturation excess distribution averaged 31 percent higher and 42 percent higher, respectively, than those produced by the infiltration excess distribution. Misrepresenting the primary runoff mechanism could not only produce erroneous concentrations, it could fail to correctly locate critical source areas for implementation of best management practices. Thus, identification of the primary runoff mechanism is critical in selection of appropriate models in the mitigation of nonpoint source pollution. Correct representation of runoff processes is also critical in the future development of biogeochemical transport models, especially those that address nutrient fluxes.     

EFFECT OF pH ON PHOSPHORUS RELEASE DURING MACROPHYTE (ELEOCHARIS sp.) DECOMPOSITION1

ABSTRACT: Laboratory microcosms were used to evaluate the effect of pH on release of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) during aerobic decomposition of the aquatic macrophyte Eleocharis sp., which is common in oligotrophic Florida lakes. The total amount of SRP released during a 227-day incubation in the dark was independent of pH over the range 3.7 to 5.5, but initial rates of release were faster at the lowest pH. The results indicate that the low total phosphorus concentrations observed in many acidic lakes are not necessarily attributable to reduced rates of decomposition and nutrient mineralization at low pH, as some researchers have suggested.     

Sustainable energy development in rural Asia

In considering the prospects for sustainable energy, most studies have focused on developments in the urban and industrial areas. However, in Asia where the bulk of the population continues to live in rural areas, it is essential to monitor the changes occurring in the countryside. Therefore, this paper examines the developments taking place in rural energy in Asia in general and focuses specifically on the situation in China. It is observed that a total reorganization of the energy picture is occurring in rural China with regard to both conventional and non-conventional energy, as a result of the huge market for power and fuel created by rapid economic growth. This has led to new distribution networks for electricity (with the Chinese Government following the example of the US Rural Electrification Administration), fossil fuels and renewable energy systems. The growing affluence of the population coupled with rapid industrialization is producing far-reaching changes in the transportation structure as well as in the household energy structure. The situation in China is seen to be comparable to that in other East and Southeast Asian countries, particularly those which combine a rapidly growing industrial sector with a large rural population engaged in agriculture, such as the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia.