The win-win pathway of economic growth and CO2 emission reduction: a case study for China

ABSTRACT

Continuously reducing the CO₂ intensity of GDP is the core strategy for developing countries to realize the dual targets of economic growth and CO₂ emissions reduction. The measures are twofold: one is to strengthen energy saving and decrease energy intensity of GDP and the other is to promote energy structural decarbonization and reduce CO₂ intensity of energy consumption. In order to control global temperature rise no more than 2°C, the decrease in CO₂ intensity of GDP needs surpass 4% before 2030, but it could be merely about 2% based on the current trend. Therefore, all countries ought to speed up the low-carbon transition in energy and economy. As for China, keeping a continuous decline in CO₂ intensity of GDP of 4%–5% will ensure the realization of the NDC objectives, and also promotes the early peaking of CO₂ emissions before 2030. China will play a positive leading role in realizing a win-win low-carbon development coordinating sustainable development and climate change mitigation.     

基于土壤流失的农业面源TN和TP排海系数估算

以黄河三角洲为典型研究区,通过分析区域地表污染物流失风险与入海通量的关系,构建了海岸带农业总氮（TN）和总磷（TP）面源污染排海估算模型.在此基础上,计算了包含水田、水浇地和旱地等耕地类的TN和TP面源污染排海系数,验证表明输出系数估算结果较好.研究区耕地的TN和TP排海系数分别为18.33 kg·（hm²·a）^-1和1.02 kg·（hm²·a）^-1,在夏季面源污染负荷较高.子流域尺度较大的耕地类农业面源污染负荷主要位于支脉河、广利河和小岛河管控区域.TN和TP总负荷较大的行政区主要位于北部黄河口镇和永安镇;较大的单位面积负荷在西南部.因此,需要关注农业面源污染的时间效应,同时协调社会经济发展,从子流域和行政单元的角度制定综合性面源污染防控策略,陆海统筹治理海域污染.     

Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from aqueous solution on soybean stalk-based carbon

Soybean [ (L.) Merr.] stalk-based carbons were prepared by phosphoric acid activation at different carbonization temperatures. Characteristics of the prepared carbon, including specific surface area, iodine number, and amount of methylene blue sorption, were determined. Experiments on phenanthrene, naphthalene, and acenaphthene, as representatives of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), removal from aqueous solution by the prepared carbon were conducted at different levels of carbon addition. The results indicated that the specific surface area, iodine number, and amount of methylene blue sorption increased with an increase of carbonization temperature. The maximum values were observed at 700°C and were 287.63 m g, 508.99 mg g, and 90.14 mg g, respectively. The removal efficiencies of phenanthrene, naphthalene, and acenaphthene tended to increase with increasing carbon amounts and carbonization temperature. The optimal removal performance was obtained under the experimental conditions of carbon concentrations of 0.04 g 32 mL and carbonization temperature of 700°C, and the removal efficiencies of phenanthrene, naphthalene, and acenaphthene were 99.89, 100, and 95.64%, respectively. The performance of the prepared carbon was superior to that of commercial activated carbon. Additionally, for the same carbon concentrations, the removal efficiency of PAHs on prepared carbons followed the order: phenanthrene > naphthalene > acenaphthene. Results obtained from this work provide some insight into the reuse of an agricultural residue, and also provide a new application for the treatment of PAHs in contaminated water utilizing activated carbon prepared from agricultural residues.     

Hydraulic management of a soil moisture controlled SDI wastewater dispersal system in an Alabama Black Belt soil

Rural areas represent approximately 95% of the 14000 km(2) Alabama Black Belt, an area of widespread Vertisols dominated by clayey, smectitic, shrink-swell soils. These soils are unsuitable for conventional onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) which are nevertheless widely used in this region. In order to provide an alternative wastewater dosing system, an experimental field moisture controlled subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system was designed and installed as a field trial. The experimental system that integrates a seasonal cropping system was evaluated for two years on a 500-m(2) Houston clay site in west central Alabama from August 2006 to June 2008. The SDI system was designed to start hydraulic dosing only when field moisture was below field capacity. Hydraulic dosing rates fluctuated as expected with higher dosing rates during warm seasons with near zero or zero dosing rates during cold seasons. Lower hydraulic dosing in winter creates the need for at least a two-month waste storage structure which is an insurmountable challenge for rural homeowners. An estimated 30% of dosed water percolated below 45-cm depth during the first summer which included a 30-year historic drought. This massive volume of percolation was presumably the result of preferential flow stimulated by dry weather clay soil cracking. Although water percolation is necessary for OWTS, this massive water percolation loss indicated that this experimental system is not able to effective control soil moisture within its monitoring zone as designed. Overall findings of this study indicated that soil moisture controlled SDI wastewater dosing is not suitable as a standalone system in these Vertisols. However, the experimental soil moisture control system functioned as designed, demonstrating that soil moisture controlled SDI wastewater dosing may find application as a supplement to other wastewater disposal methods that can function during cold seasons.     

Evaluating the effects of alternative forest management plans under various physiographic settings using historical records as a reference

Using historical General Land Office record as a reference, this study employed a landscape-scale disturbance and succession model to estimate the future cumulative effects of six alternative management plans on the tree species composition for various physiographic settings for the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. The results indicate that over a 200-year horizon, the relative abundance of black oak and pine species groups will decrease and the relative abundance of the white oak species group will increase, regardless of management strategy. General Land Office witness tree records provide a measure of tree species composition in the period from 1800 to 1850, prior to the large-scale influx of European settlers. Compared to the tree species composition described in the General Land Office records, the six contemporary management alternatives considered all would lead to a lower abundance of pine species, a higher abundance of red/black oak species, and a slightly higher abundance of white oak species after 200 years. Impacts of management on tree species composition varied with physiographic settings. The projected relative abundance of pine differed significantly across the five physiographic classes over the first 40 years of the simulation. In the medium term (simulation years 41-100) the projected relative pine abundance differed significantly among only four physiographic classes. In the long term (simulation years 100-200) the projected relative pine abundance differed for only one physiographic class. In contrast, differences among physiographic classes in the relative abundance of black oaks and white oaks increased over time. In general, the expected long-term differences in relative tree species abundance among six proposed alternative management plans are small compared to shifts in tree species composition that have occurred from 1850 to the present.     

Integrative Management of Commercialized Wild Mushroom: A Case Study of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Thelephora ganbajun</Emphasis> in Yunnan,Southwest China

The management of wild mushroom is interdisciplinary in nature, whereby the biophysical considerations have to be incorporated into the context of a wide range of social, economic and political concerns. However, to date, little documentation exists illustrating an interdisciplinary approach to management of wild mushrooms. Moreover, the empirical case studies necessary for developing applicable and practical methods are even more rare. This paper adopted an interdisciplinary approach combining participatory methods to improve the habitat management of Thelephora ganbajun, an endemic and one of the most economically valuable mushroom species in Southwest China. The paper documents an empirical case of how an interdisciplinary approach facilitated the development of a scientific basis for policy and management practice, and built the local capacity to create, adopt and sustain the new rules and techniques of mushroom management. With this integrative perspective, a sustainable management strategy was developed, which was found not only technically feasible for farmers, but also acceptable to the government from an ecological and policy-related perspective. More importantly, this approach has greatly contributed to raising the income of farmers. The paper highlights how the integration of biophysical and socioeconomic factors and different knowledge systems provided a holistic perspective to problem diagnosis and resolution, which helped to cope with conventional scientific dilemmas. Finally, it concludes that the success of this interdisciplinary approach is significant in the context of policy decentralization and reform for incorporating indigenous knowledge and local participation in forest management.     

Development of Customized Fire Behavior Fuel Models for Boreal Forests of Northeastern China

Knowledge of forest fuels and their potential fire behavior across a landscape is essential in fire management. Four customized fire behavior fuel models that differed significantly in fuels characteristics and environmental conditions were identified using hierarchical cluster analysis based on fuels data collected across a boreal forest landscape in northeastern China. Fuel model I represented the dense and heavily branched Pinus pumila shrubland which has significant fine live woody fuels. These forests occur mainly at higher mountain elevations. Fuel model II is applicable to forests dominated by Betula platyphylla and Populus davidiana occurring in native forests on hill slopes or at low mountain elevations. This fuel model was differentiated from other fuel models by higher herbaceous cover and lower fine live woody loading. The primary coniferous forests dominated by Larix gmelini and Pinus sylvestris L. var. mongolica were classified as fuel model III and fuel model IV. Those fuel models differed from one another in average cover and height of understory shrub and herbaceous layers as well as in aspect. The potential fire behavior for each fuel model was simulated with the BehavePlus5.0 fire behavior prediction system. The simulation results indicated that the Pinus pumila shrubland fuels had the most severe fire behavior for the 97th percentile weather condition, and had the least severe fire behavior under 90th percentile weather condition. Fuel model II presented the least severe fire potential across weather conditions. Fuel model IV resulted in greater fire severity than Fuel model III across the two weather scenarios that were examined.     

Overview of Contemporary Issues of Forest Research and Management in China

With 207 million ha of forest covering 22% of its land area, China ranks fifth in the world in forest area. Rapid economic growth, climate change, and forest disturbances pose new, complex challenges for forest research and management. Progress in meeting these challenges is relevant beyond China, because China’s forests represent 34% of Asia’s forests and 5% of the worlds’ forests. To provide a broader understanding of these management challenges and of research and policies that address them, we organized this special issue on contemporary forest research and management issues in China. At the national level, papers review major forest types and the evolution of sustainable forestry, the development of China’s forest-certification efforts, the establishment of a forest inventory system, and achievements and challenges in insect pest control in China. Papers focused on Northern China address historical, social, and political factors that have shaped the region’s forests; the use of forest landscape models to assess how forest management can achieve multiple objectives; and analysis and modeling of fuels and fire behavior. Papers addressing Central and South China describe the “Grain for Green” program, which converts low productivity cropland to grassland and woodland to address erosion and soil carbon sequestration; the potential effects of climate change on CO₂ efflux and soil respiration; and relationships between climate and net primary productivity. China shares many forest management and research issues with other countries, but in other cases China’s capacity to respond to forest management challenges is unique and bears watching by the rest of the world.     

套管保护液对钻井废水处理效果的影响＊

通过研究高含硫气田钻井完井后套管保护液对钻井废水处理效果的影响,可知:采用混凝/二次絮凝/吸附工艺处理不含套管保护液的钻井废水时,出水COD<150 mg/L;当套管保护液加量>0.5 mL/L时,出水中COD随套管保护液用量增加而急剧升高,远大于150 mg/L;采用混凝/吸附/微电解组合工艺处理含套管保护液的完井钻井废水,出水COD<150 mg/L,满足GB 8978-1996《污水综合排放标准》二级标准的要求。     

Analysis of water quality factors influencing the speciation of inorganic nitrogen using GRA

Based on the water quality data from 2006 to 2008, grey relational analysis (GRA) is used to analyze factors that may have influence on the speciation of inorganic nitrogen in the Chengdu section of middle Min river. The results show that water temperature, changing from 20.2 +/- 2.7, 13.4 +/- 5.7 and 16.8 +/- 5.6 degrees C, is the first restrictive factor for the speciation of inorganic nitrogen; it is negatively correlated with the ratio of total ammonia nitrogen to total inorganic nitrogen contents [m(AN)/m(TIN)] in three different periods of wet season, dry season and year-round. The average pH values for years, in wet and dry periods are 7.6 +/- 0.4, 7.3 +/- 0.3 and 7.8 +/- 0.2, respectively, and have different influences in different seasons. It is the second restrictive factor and positive correlation between pH and m(AN)/m(TIN) in wet season and through the year yet it is the fourth factor in dry seasons. The values of dissolved oxygen (DO), which are 4.6 +/- 1.4, 4.6 +/- 2.4, 4.6 +/- 2.0 respectively, is the third factor and negatively correlates with m(AN)/m(TIN) in third different periods. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) indirectly inhibits the nitrifying bacteria because the DO is depleted in the decomposition of organic matter by heterotrophic bacteria, showing the positive correlation.As the alkalinity can meet the requirement of nitrification in wet season and through the year, it is not restrictive factor. However, it is the second restrictive factor in dry season because of low content of alkalinity inhibiting the growth of nitrifying bacteria.