A Multiattribute Index for Assessing Environmental Impacts of Regional Development Projects: A Case Study of Korea

Evaluating environmental impacts has become an increasingly vital part of environmental management. In the present study, a methodological procedure based on multiattribute utility theory (MAUT) has been applied to obtain a decision-maker's value index on assessment of the environmental impacts. The paper begins with an overview of MAUT. Next, we elicited strategic objectives and several important attributes, and then structured them into a hierarchy, with the aim of structuring and quantifying the basic values for the assessment. An environmental multiattribute index is constructed as a multiattribute utility function, based on value judgements provided by a decision-maker at the Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE). The implications of the results are useful for many aspects of MOE's environmental policies; identifying the strategic objectives and basic values; facilitating communication about the organization's priorities; and recognizing decision opportunities that face decision-makers of Korea.     

Quantitative assessments of municipal waste management systems: Using different indicators to compare and rank programs in New York State

The primary objective of waste management technologies and policies in the United States is to reduce the harmful environmental impacts of waste, particularly those relating to energy consumption and climate change. Performance indicators are frequently used to evaluate the environmental quality of municipal waste systems, as well as to compare and rank programs relative to each other in terms of environmental performance. However, there currently is no consensus on the best indicator for performing these environmental evaluations. The purpose of this study is to examine the common performance indicators used to assess the environmental benefits of municipal waste systems to determine if there is agreement between them regarding which system performs best environmentally. Focus is placed on how indicator selection influences comparisons between municipal waste management programs and subsequent system rankings. The waste systems of ten municipalities in the state of New York, USA, were evaluated using each common performance indicator and Spearman correlations were calculated to see if there was a significant association between system rank orderings. Analyses showed that rank orders of waste systems differ substantially when different indicators are used. Therefore, comparative system assessments based on indicators should be considered carefully, especially those intended to gauge environmental quality. Insight was also gained into specific factors which may lead to one system achieving higher rankings than another. However, despite the insufficiencies of indicators for comparative quality assessments, they do provide important information for waste managers and they can assist in evaluating internal programmatic performance and progress. To enhance these types of assessments, a framework for scoring indicators based on criteria that evaluate their utility and value for system evaluations was developed. This framework was used to construct an improved model for waste system performance assessments.     

Smaller farm size and ruminant animals are associated with increased supply of non-provisioning ecosystem services

To balance trade-offs between livestock’s negative environmental impacts and their positive contributions (e.g. maintaining semi-natural grasslands, varied agricultural landscapes and crop rotations), a better understanding is needed of how the supply of ecosystem services differs across farms. We analysed a suite of indicators for non-provisioning ecosystem services on a large subset of Swedish farms (71% of farms, covering 82% of agricultural land) and related these to farm type, farm size and livestock density. The analysed indicators exhibited clear geographical patterns with hotspots especially in less productive regions. Controlling for this spatial variation we still found that small-scale and ruminant farms were associated with more varied landscapes, small-scale habitats, semi-natural grasslands and better crop sequences compared to nearby farms specialised in crop production, while farms specialising in monogastric livestock were associated with less varied landscapes and inferior crop sequences. Results for cultural ecosystem services indicated that farms with more semi-natural grassland were associated with more visitors and more likely located within designated recreation or nature conservation areas.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-022-01726-y.     

机动车尾气控制策略效益综合评价指标体系

针对当前国内外缺乏系统的尾气控制策略效益评价方法,本文建立了微观、中观、宏观三个层次的尾气控制策略效益综合评价指标体系,分别从环境效益和经济效益两方面对静态、动态及综合尾气控制策略的效益进行评价,该指标体系的建立对于尾气控制策略效益分析具有一定的理论及实践意义。     

镇江市环境与经济协调发展评价及对策研究

环境与经济的协调发展是实现可持续发展的必由之路,本文介绍了协调发展度的内涵,通过构建镇江市环境与经济评价的指标体系,利用协调发展的相关计算模型对镇江市1999～2002年协调发展的动态变化作出评价,并在此基础上提出一些对策与建议。     

环保投资统计指标体系构建研究——以青岛市为例

文章在总结分析国内外环境保护投资统计指标的基础上,制定了环保投资统计指标构建原则;以青岛市为例,构建环保投资统计指标体系;并使用构建的指标体系统计分析了青岛市2014~2015年环保投资情况。结果表明,2014~2015年青岛市环保投资总额分别为86.30亿元、90.69亿元,其中,污染治理设施投资是环保投资的主要组成部分,占全市环保投资额度的一半以上。环保设施运行维护费用和生态环境保护投资次之,环境管理投资占比最低。     

利用泥鳅对重金属富集的现象来指示河流污染变化程度的研究

利用泥鳅鱼在淤泥中寻找食物的生活习性,通过分析不同时期采集的泥鳅体内的重金属浓度,监测河流或底泥的污染程度,即可以把泥鳅作为河流或底泥污染程度的敏感指示动物.建立了用ICP-AES同时测定泥鳅鱼体内多种元素的方法,具有快捷、准确的特点.该方法的回收率为96.0%～106%,精密度RSD为1.7%～5.1%.     

The reliability of evidence review methodology in environmental science and conservation

Given the proliferation of primary research articles, the importance of reliable environmental evidence reviews for informing policy and management decisions is increasing. Although conducting reviews is an efficient method of synthesising the fragmented primary evidence base, reviews that are of poor methodological reliability have the potential to misinform by not accurately reflecting the available evidence base. To assess the current value of evidence reviews for decision-making we appraised a systematic sample of articles published in early 2015 (N = 92) using the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence Synthesis Assessment Tool (CEESAT). CEESAT assesses the methodology of policy-relevant evidence reviews according to elements important for objectivity, transparency and comprehensiveness. Overall, reviews performed poorly with a median score of 2.5/39 and a modal score of zero (range 0–30, mean 5.8), and low scores were ubiquitous across subject areas. In general, reviews that applied meta-analytical techniques achieved higher scores than narrative syntheses (median 18.3 and 2.0 respectively), as a result of the latter consistently failing to adequately report methodology or how conclusions were drawn. However, some narrative syntheses achieved high scores, illustrating that the reliability of reviews should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Given the potential importance of reviews for informing management and policy, as well as research, it is vital that overall methodological reliability is improved. Although the increasing number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses highlight that some progress is being made, our findings suggest little or no improvement in the last decade. To motivate progress, we recommend that an annual assessment of the methodological reliability of evidence reviews be conducted. To better serve the environmental policy and management communities we identify a requirement for independent critical appraisal of review methodology thus enabling decision-makers to select reviews that are most likely to accurately reflect the evidence base.     

崇明生态岛建设解析

崇明岛是位于长江口、世界上面积最大的河口冲积岛。笔者构建了科学性与可操作性、现实性与前瞻性、针对性与示范性相结合的生态岛建设指标体系,并在崇明世界级生态岛建设中发挥了“引领生态岛建设方向。规范建设行为,调控建设进程”的作用,崇明生态岛建设成效初显。为了进一步发挥崇明生态岛建设的示范作用。笔者还提出了建设生态文明特区等建议。     

环境保护投资择优标准及其辅助决策模型研究

指出了环境保护投资的优化是区域内相对最优而非点最优。从阐明环保投资与环境质量和环境经济效益之间的关系特征出发,提出新的环保投资择优标准,并给出了依据这一标准的辅助决策模型用于分析环保投资相对优化的问题。