Are energy efficiency standards justified?

This paper develops an analytical framework for comparing the welfare effects of energy efficiency standards and pricing policies for reducing gasoline, electricity, and nationwide carbon emissions. The model is parameterized with US data and includes key externalities in the energy/transportation sectors and possible underinvestment in energy efficiency due to “misperceptions” over energy savings. Even with large misperceptions, the extra welfare gains from complementing efficient pricing policies with energy efficiency standards are zero for reducing gasoline and 5 percent for reducing electricity. And when viewed as substitutes, these standards forgo 60 percent or more of the potential welfare gains from corresponding pricing policies. A combination of energy efficiency and emissions standards is more than three times as costly as carbon pricing when there is no misperception over energy savings, and even with large misperceptions, combining carbon pricing with gasoline/electricity taxes is better than combining it with energy efficiency standards.     

An economist's remarks on landscaping

These costs and benefits may be more easily noticed or precisely defined by different persons. Some are seen by the landscape architect but not by the economist, and the other way round. This implies that a reasonably adequate enumeration of the benefits and costs, each considered in a very wide sense, can be achieved only if a proposal is viewed from the standpoints of different disciplines.

It may very well be that the mere enumeration of these costs and benefits will either convince the economist that the proposed scheme is ‘on’ or convince the landscape architect that it is ‘off’. In the latter case the landscape architect may say that while it would be wonderful to proceed with the scheme he can see that it would, in the wide ‘opportunity’ sense of the phrase, cost too much. But there may come a stage where the enumeration of costs and benefits leaves the landscape man wanting Scheme A and the social scientist wanting Scheme B. It is here that, first of all, adjustment must be tried. But if it fails then compromise may be needed, in which one side or the other, or both, reluctantly sacrifices some feature of his favoured scheme. If agreement cannot be reached, then the difference of opinion ought to be put to the client, who can reach his own decision.     

Radioactive and radiogenic isotopes in sediments from Cooper Creek, Western Arnhem Land

Protection of the environment post-mining is a key objective of rehabilitation, especially where runoff and erosion from rehabilitated mine sites could potentially lead to contamination of the surrounding land and watercourses. As part of an overall assessment of the success of rehabilitation at the former Nabarlek uranium (U) mine, an appraisal of stable lead (Pb) isotopes, radionuclides and trace metals within sediments and soils was conducted to determine the off site impacts from a spatial and temporal perspective. The study found localised areas on and adjacent to the site where soils had elevated levels of trace metals and radionuclides. Lead isotope ratios are highly radiogenic in some samples, indicating the presence of U-rich material. There is some indication that erosion products with more radiogenic Pb isotope ratios have deposited in sediments downstream of the former ore body. However, there is no indication that the radiogenic erosion products found on the mine site at present have significantly contaminated sediments further downstream of Cooper Creek.     

Filamentous cyanophytes containing phycourobilin and in symbiosis with sponges and an ascidian of coral reefs

A study was made of the ultrastructure and pigment composition of filamentous cyanophytes living in symbiosis with several sponges and a colonial didemnid ascidian collected from the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, between 1983 and 1986. The sponges were Dysidea herbacea Keller and several other encrusting sponges which have not been identified; the ascidian was Trididemnum miniatum Kott (1977). The cyanophyte Oscillatoria spongeliae (Shultz) Hauck was identified as the symbiont of several of the sponges, including D. herbacea. Two other unidentified Oscillatoria species were found in a bristly papillate sponge and in T. miniatum. Chlorophyll a, alone, was present in all the symbionts with the exception of T. miniatum, which contained the cosymbiont Prochloron and where chlorophyll b was also present. Two phycoerythrins were isolated by chromatography and chromatofocusing. Both resembled C-phycoerythrin, but one of the two carried the chromophore phycourobilin as well as phycoerythrobilin possibly on both the and subunits, which had apparent molecular masses of 18 and 20 kdaltons. No subunit was present. Ultrastructurally, the three Oscillatoria species were distinguished by an unusual type of parallel, longitudinal, thylakoid organisation; the arrangement was different in detail in each species.     

Monitoring of labile metals in turbid coastal seawater using diffusive gradients in thin-films

Diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) have been investigated for in situ monitoring of labile metals in north Australian coastal seawater. Field and experimental data showed that DGT devices provided adequate detection limits, accuracy and precision for monitoring of near-pristine levels of labile Mn, Co, Cu, Cd and Pb when deployed for periods of 3 days. However, Zn could not be adequately determined due to high blank levels. The ratio of DGT-labile to 0.45 microm-filtered metal levels in natural seawater ranged from 0.44-0.63 for Cu but was close to unity for Co and Cd. Elevated levels of suspended particulate matter up to 57.3 mg l(-1) did not have an adverse effect on the performance of DGT.     

Implicating an introduced generalist parasitoid in the invasive browntail moth's enigmatic demise

Recent attention has focused on the harmful effects of introduced biological control agents on nontarget species. The parasitoid Compsilura concinnata is a notable example of such biological control gone wrong. Introduced in 1906 primarily for control of gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, this tachinid fly now attacks more than 180 species of native Lepidoptera in North America. While it did not prevent outbreaks or spread of gypsy moth, we present reanalyzed historical data and experimental findings suggesting that parasitism by C. concinnata is the cause of the enigmatic near-extirpation of another of North America's most successful invaders, the browntail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea). From a range of approximately 160,000 km2 a century ago, browntail moth (BTM) populations currently exist only in two spatially restricted coastal enclaves, where they have persisted for decades. We experimentally established BTM populations within this area and found that they were largely free of mortality caused by C. concinnata. Experimental populations of BTM at inland sites outside of the currently occupied coastal enclaves were decimated by C. concinnata, a result consistent with our reanalysis of historical data on C. concinnata parasitism of the browntail moth. The role of C. concinnata in the disappearance of browntail moth outside these enclaves has not been reported before. Despite the beneficial role played by C. concinnata in reversing the browntail moth invasion, we do not advocate introduction of generalist biological control agents. Our findings illustrate that the impact of such organisms can be both unpredictable and far-reaching.     

Evaluating the influence of nature connection and values on conservation attitudes at a tropical deforestation frontier

Inner phenomena, such as personal motivations for pursuing sustainability, may be critical levers for improving conservation outcomes. Most conservation research and policies, however, focus on external phenomena (e.g., ecological change or economic processes). We explored the factors shaping 9 conservation attitudes toward forest and wildlife protection among colonist farmers around an Amazonian deforestation frontier. Our data comprised 241 face-to-face quantitative surveys, complemented with qualitative insights from open-ended questionnaire responses and opportunistic semistructured interviews. To account for the full spectrum of possible inner motivations, we employed measures of nature connection (indicating biospheric motivation) and personal values organized around the traditionalism (traditionalist through to high openness to change) and universalism dimensions (egoistic through to altruistic motivations). We used averaged beta-binomial generalized linear models to assess the role of external factors (socioeconomic, sociodemographic, and environmental) and personal (inner) motivations on the variation in attitudes. Each attitude was modeled separately. The relative importance of each predictor was judged by the proportion of models where it appeared as significant. Proconservation views were expressed by the majority (at least 65%) of the respondents in 7 out of the 9 attitude models. The most consistent predictors were emotional nature connection and personal values (significant in 4–6 out of 9 models), rather than external phenomena (significant in 0–5 models). However, the poorest farmers had lower scores on the agreement with prioritizing nature over development (𝛽 = –0.52, 95% CI: –0.96 to –0.07). Qualitative data also indicated that economic barriers hinder forest conservation on farms. These results suggest that biospheric, traditionalistic, and altruistic motivations promote people's proconservation attitudes, but nurturing these latent motivations is unlikely to improve conservation outcomes if material poverty remains unaddressed. Integrating the inner–outer perspective into conservation thinking and practical interventions could foster environmental stewardship and increase human well-being.     

Pressing the Local Account: A case study of meanings and responsibilities with regard to the local press and a local nature reserve

This case study concerns the effect of meanings and use of language by a local newspaper in relation to an environmental incident in a town in south-east England that will be called Woodbridge. It explores the implications of insensitive, or misleading, use of language over a four-month period towards the end of 1995 through recordings and observations made at the time. The event is explored through the eyes of a local teenager called Tim who was involved in a school environmental education research project and who became a key player in the developing out-of-school conflict. Although the account concerns a controversy that raged several years ago, it nevertheless raises general concerns regarding newspaper coverage of environmental issues at the local level, the tension between profits and reporting truth and the apparent lack of a medium- to long-term approach to environmental issues. All names are fictitious to ensure anonymity in what remains a sensitive memory.