Game theory and environmental disputes

The courts have provided the traditional battleground for conflicts between environmental interest groups and those whose actions in some way have an adverse impact on the environment The judicial process is a time-consuming one in which all sides usually must concede to some points. Environmental disputes involve complex scientific issues which the court system is not set up to comprehend, so that the process gives the parties to a dispute the sense of having lost control of their own destinies. An increasing number of parties to environmental disputes are turning to negotiation, or mediation, as an alternative in which they can be active parties in the settlement-making process rather than the victims of a court-imposed solution When do the parties to a dispute choose a negotiated settlement over a court battle? To what extent does each party make the concessions necessary to reach an agreement? These questions can be answered by the game theory that provides a model for analyzing the negotiation process. This paper will apply game theory to two environmental conflict cases A series of questions pertinent to the analysis of all environmental disputes will be raised     

AN APPLICATION OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH METHODS TO BEACH RENOURISHMENT PROJECTS1

ABSTRACT: Mathematical models have been widely used in business to minimize cost and maximize profit. In this paper such models are used to help determine the optimum strategy for a beach renourishment project including the initial and subsequent fill quantities and the length of a complete renourishment cycle. The importance of considering economic factors is emphasized, and the sensitivity of the optimal values to changes in the basic parameters of the models are discussed. The possible extensions and limitations of the models are considered.     

GEOCHEMICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF GROUNDWATER FLOW SYSTEMS1

ABSTRACT. Interest in the geochemistry of groundwater is increasing owing to the great number of current projects involving underground liquid waste storage, artificial recharge of potable water, accidental contamination of groundwater bodies, sanitary landfills, and pollution monitoring. Geochemical techniques used to facilitate the understanding of a groundwater system range from extremely simple to those requiring sophisticated theories, equipment, and procedures. An interpretation of the simple trilinear diagram for samples collected from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico provided evidence that the fresh-water body was only a few tens of meters thick and was underlain everywhere by an extensive body of salt water. A geochemical technique that has been used effectively to identify the source of salt water in coastal aquifers is measurement of the carbon-14 concentrations. Carbon-14 has been used in a regional carbonate aquifer to determine the velocity of groundwater movement, rates of chemical reactions, and distribution of hydraulic conductivity. The application of principles of irreversible thermodynamics to groundwater systems provides a basis for constructing models which permit prediction, over both time and space, of changes in head distribution and chemical character of the water resulting from imposed stresses on the system. In essence, proper application of irreversible thermodynamics combines the potential theory of Hubbert with principles of reversible chemical thermodynamics, such as solution of carbonate minerals, to describe and explain controlling chemical reactions and processes of groundwater systems.     

建筑室内环境安全灰色评价模型及应用

人们在重视治理大气和江河湖海等大环境安全问题的时候 ,却忽视了直接危害人身健康甚至生命的室内环境安全问题。在现代社会 ,室内环境安全已经成为影响人们身心健康与安全的重要因素。由于影响室内环境安全的因素复杂 ,科学合理地评价其安全状况对改善室内环境安全具有重要意义。笔者针对建筑室内环境安全系统特征 ,在合理确定评价指标体系的基础上 ,建立了基于灰色关联理论的室内环境安全评价模型 ,并给予了实例验证 ,为室内环境安全评价提供了具有指导意义的技术和方法。     

煤层底板突水的突变理论预测方法及其应用

基于煤层底板突水的尖点突变特征 ,应用突变理论的方法 ,针对煤层底板突水预测指标监测信号 ,分析了单变量序列尖点突变模型及其稳定判据 ,提出了煤层底板突水的突变理论预测方法。实例表明 ,预测结果与现场工程实际情况相一致 ,证明了该方法可望成为预测煤层底板突水危险性的一条新的有效途径     

浅埋型矿井涌水量预测预报的灰色模型

矿井涌水量预测 ,对矿井安全及正常生产都至关重要。矿井涌水量预测采用的常规方法对各含水层的水文地质参数依赖性较大 ,而对各因素之间的影响程度难以区分和把握 ,因此 ,在预测预报中的精度较差 ;而采用灰色理论则具有高度的概括性 ,可以把各种不确定因素 ,统统用一个简单的“灰数”来表示 ,并且预测精度高而简单实用。笔者在分析浅埋型矿井涌水量的构成要素的基础上应用灰色系统理论对其涌水量进行了预测 ,其方法与结果对推动矿井水文地质工作有一定的现实意义和指导作用。     

山东省城镇空间格局

城镇是人类活动影响地表的最主要形式,是土地利用/土地覆盖变化的主要方面.山东省是中国东部沿海大省,土地利用处于不断地调整过程中.在全省城镇空间分布格局现状的基础上,结合中心地理论,运用数据包络分析(DEA)方法进行了具体分析,对全国土地利用/土地覆盖的深入研究具有重大意义.     

边缘型旅游地的理论与实证研究

阐述了边缘型旅游地的概念和类型,从旅游资源、旅游交通、旅游感知、社会经济等方面透视了边缘型旅游地的特性,并系统探讨了边缘型旅游地的动态演替模式.在此基础上,提出了边缘型旅游地的开发应走产品特色化、形象驱动化、区域联动化、政府主导化的综合发展战略.     

环境监理专业发展探讨与实践

环境监理专业是原国家环保局和中国环境管理干部学院共同创建。经过8年的发展完善,已经是中国环境管理干部学院的主要专业。在学院转轨,高校扩招的新形势下,面临学生来源和学生自主就业的新变化,本文对环境监理专业的专业方向、高职教学特点、加强理论与实践的结合等方面进行了深入的研究和探讨。     

可持续发展的突变评判法

首次将系统新三论之一的突变理论应用于可持续发展评价的研究中。介绍了突变评判法的基本原理和使用步骤，并运用该方法对天津市的可持续发展状态进行了评价。