Recognising interdependence and defining multi-level governance in city sustainability plans

Abstract

This paper examines the nature of the relationship between sustainable waste management behaviour between the ‘home’ and ‘work’ settings. A questionnaire survey of 566 employees of the Cornwall NHS (National Health Service) was used to examine the nature of the behaviour between the two settings and to understand the main factors influencing the behaviour. The results indicate that there is strong link in the behaviour of individuals between the two settings, with employees who practised recycling activities at home also being more likely to practise a similar behaviour at work. There was also some similarity in the level of sustainability of the behaviour between the two settings. These behaviours were strongly influenced by the underlying attitudes and beliefs of the staff towards the environment. The implications for policy-making to improve sustainable waste management behaviour amongst individuals in England and Wales are also discussed.     

Building blocks of economic resilience to climate change: a south east Australian fisheries example

Climate change will impact on ecological, social, and economic elements of fisheries; however, the three are seldom considered in an integrated fashion. We develop a fishery-level assessment of economic resilience to climate change for the Tasmanian rock lobster fishery, a linked social–ecological system. We outline the main climate change forcing influences that link climate change to the fishery via changes in lobster abundance, distribution, and phenology. Using a bottom-up approach, we identify twelve economic attributes strongly related to the fisheries’ economic resilience to climate change. Resilience attributes are grouped according to the level of the economic domain (business, sectoral, and governance). Attributes are then evaluated to determine the overall economic resilience of the rock lobster fishery in the context of the specific nature of predicted climate change effects. We identify areas of low resilience in the economic sub-system for this fishery. Evaluating the economic resilience of regional fisheries using this integrated, interdisciplinary framework provides a practical, parsimonious, and conceptually sound basis for undertaking comprehensive and contextually tailored assessments of climate change impacts and economic vulnerability. The framework can be extended to include a broader range of climate change impacts and the social domain of the human sub-system.     

Threatened Species Conservation in New South Wales,Australia: A Review of the Value of the Eight-part Test

The Threatened Species Conservation (TSC) Act, introduced in 1995, represents a significant attempt to conserve and restore biodiversity within the state of New South Wales, Australia. This Act aims to integrate land use planning and environmental impact assessment legislation by placing increased responsibility on applicants, proponents, consent and determining authorities, and the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, in the fields of environmental planning, development control and biodiversity conservation. The TSC Act introduced a set of eight factors which have to be considered by decision makers in determining whether a development is likely to have a significant effect upon threatened species, populations, ecological communities or their habitats (the threatened biota) as listed in the Act. These eight factors are commonly referred to as the 'eight-part test'. Fifty environmental impact statements (EISs) containing eight-part tests for development proposals were obtained. The adequacy of scoping and survey exercises, the number of species identified and afforded the eight-part test, and the actual responses to each of the eight factors contained within the test, using a series of criteria, were ascertained. Sixty per cent provided an adequate scoping exercise; 6% of the surveys for flora species, and none for fauna species carried out, were adequate in terms of identifying all threatened species on the development site. Seven hundred and thirty-seven species listed in the Act were identified, 36% of which were omitted from the eight-part test procedure. The eight sections of the eight-part test were completed to a varying degree of adequacy, with none of the EISs completing all eight sections satisfactorily. Both section 4 (regarding the impacts of a development in terms of habitat isolation) and section 8 (regarding the distribution of species potentially affected by a development) were inadequately completed in all 50 EISs.     

江苏农村地区能源消费与可持续发展

江苏是中国经济发展较为迅速的省份 ,为了研究农村地区经济发展过程中能源消费的变化规律 ,本文在大量调查数据分析的基础上 ,对江苏农村地区乡镇工业、农村生活和农业生产能源消费水平和结构及其发展变化进行了研究 ,提出了农村地区能源问题的可持续发展战略     

1998年临猗5.0级地震前Q值的前兆异常

利用西安数字地震遥测台网记录的数字地震资料,采用P波初动半周期残差法求得了1998年7月临猗5.0级地震前后不同路径的Q值变化.发现在地震发生前Q在87(203之间,震后Q在67～164之间,震前震中区附近出现了明显的高Q值异常,表明地震前的高Q值异常可以作为地震预测的一种手段.     

海洋经济可持续发展系统交互胁迫关系验证及协调度测算——以辽宁省沿海六市为例

基于交互胁迫理论,对辽宁省沿海六市2007~2012年海洋生态、社会、经济三个子系统间的交互胁迫关系进行验证,并运用耦合模型进行时空协调度测算。结果表明:三个子系统之间存在着明显的交互胁迫关系,这种动态耦合关系在演化周期内呈现出双指数函数的变化规律,且演化轨迹是一条双指数曲线;通过测算耦合协调度,得出大连市海洋经济可持续发展系统总体耦合协调度高于其他五市,基本处于中级协调发展阶段,其他五市耦合协调度不高,基本呈现波动上升态势,且海洋生态-经济系统的耦合协调度处于波动下降态势,生态压力指数较大,可持续发展水平亟待提高。     

基于性能参数退化的某弹用O型橡胶密封圈贮存寿命评估

目的研究某弹用O型橡胶密封圈的性能参数退化规律,并准确预测其贮存寿命。方法设计4个不同温度下的恒定应力加速退化试验,记录每个温度下不同时间点的性能退化数据,根据退化参数利用高分子材料性能变化与退化时间关系式及阿伦尼乌斯(Arrhenius)方程,建立O型橡胶密封圈压缩永久变形率与贮存时间的老化动力学方程。结果对照当地各个季节的平均温度值,建立了寿命评估模型,并由此预测了该型密封圈在自然环境贮存条件下的失效寿命在8年左右。结论该寿命评估值比较接近实际测量值,精度良好,可为O型橡胶密封圈在自然贮存条件下的寿命评估提供有价值的参考依据。     

美国在环境议题上的分歧及对中国的启示

美国曾经在环境保护和治理污染上做出了卓越的成绩,但是如今环境议题成为撕裂美国的重要议题。美国的共和党和民主党在环境议题上互相牵制,难以达成共识。最近,美国特朗普总统宣布退出应对气候变化的《巴黎协定》就是这种分歧的表现。但当美国1970年代开始环境立法治理污染的时候,美国社会上下和两大党之间高度一致。在此后,因为环境思想上的差异和代际转变,政党斗争、选举体制、利益集团等多方面原因,美国不同政治势力在环境议题上越发分裂。美国在环境议题上的分歧对中国如今解决环境问题有重要的启示意义:首先,现在我国社会上下一致应对环境问题的广泛共识很宝贵,应该抓住难得的机遇期,为未来环境治理积极立法,留下宝贵法治遗产。另一方面,随着人们在环境议题上的利益变得多元,中国应该在环境治理上整合各方面利益,防止中国未来的环保事业被利益集团绑架。最后,中国应该明确环境议题的概念远远大于治理污染,为未来环境事业扩展空间。     

北武夷梨子坑火山盆地流纹斑岩与铅锌矿的成因关系

梨子坑火山盆地位于北武夷中生代月凤山—梨子坑火山岩带东段,已知铅锌(铜、银)矿体或矿化呈细脉-浸染型、脉状,产于流纹斑岩脉的内外接触带及其外侧围岩中,发育钾化、绿泥石化、硅化、绿帘石化等围岩蚀变。地球化学特征显示流纹斑岩为钙碱性系列,岩石具有高SiO2、富碱、高K2O、高钙铁、低镁、K2O/Na2O值偏高的特点,为强过铝质岩石。w(ΣREE)值为76.28×10-6～222.54×10-6,ω(ΣLREE/ΣHREE)比值较大,为4.08～12.30,属于轻稀土元素富集型。成矿流纹斑岩形成于137±2.1Ma(SHRIMP锆石U-Pb法)～138.8±1.4Ma(LA-MC-ICPMS锆石U-Pb法),属早白垩世。铅锌矿属于次火山斑岩脉型铅锌(银铜)成矿系列,划分为次火山斑岩脉型和次火山热液破碎带型两种矿床成因类型。     

中国风电产业链的垂直结构研究

大力发展风电产业有利于降低碳排放,对于保持经济社会可持续发展具有重要意义.跟其他的产业一样,产业组织结构是影响风电产业发展速度的决定因素之一.产业组织理论认为,产业的垂直结构影响着产业资源的配置效率、产业利润的分配和下游企业的定价.本研究回答两个问题:①风电制造企业市场集中度与风电场的利润率之间的关系;②它们之间的关系还受到哪些因素的影响.本文从中国风电产业链的垂直结构入手,分析了风电设备制造市场的市场集中程度对风电场利润的影响.理论模型的推导结果表明风电设备制造企业的市场集中度和风电场的利润率之间呈负相关关系,且影响程度随风电场对风电设备需求弹性的降低而加强.因此,本文认为政府可以通过给予风电设备制造企业税收优惠、在风电制造业中实施必要的反垄断措施和制定并实施中国风电产业标准等措施,吸引新的企业进入风电设备制造市场,降低设备制造市场的市场集中度,增加风电场对特定风电设备的需求弹性.从而提高风电场的利润,加快风电产业的健康发展.