Sustainability assessment of entire forest value chains: Integrating stakeholder perspectives and indicators in decision support tools

The optimization of value chains is an important process to promote sustainable development, since value chains are closely linked to the satisfaction of human needs and combine different driving forces for environmental change. This article presents a methodological approach for the participatory development of value-chain wide sustainability indicator sets and their integration into a decision support tool in the specific case study of the chain “construction and refurbishment with wood”. There are numerous indicator sets for sustainable development of forests and sustainable forestry available at different levels, ranging from local, regional and national to global scale assessments. Some efforts were also made to integrate later production stages of forest value chains (such as wood processing) in the assessment scope (e.g. for chain-of-custody certification). However, no indicator set has so far been available covering environmental, social and economic aspects for the entire value chain of building with timber. This gap was closed through applied sustainability research in the project “Holzwende 2020: Sustainable future markets for wood in the building sector”.     

基于Sen可行能力理论测度中国社会福利指数

本研究基于阿玛蒂亚·森(Sen)可行能力理论,运用2008-2013年中国31个省(市)面板数据,采取模糊数学理论与主成分因子分析法测度中国社会福利指数。通过理论与实证研究发现:第一,东中西部地区社会福利指数差异性较大,其波动呈不规则趋势,且社会福利与经济发展呈脱钩状况。第二,计算MI与GC指数发现,各地区社会福利指数之间存在正的空间相关性,且东中西部地区社会福利指数存在空间集聚与扩散现象。第三,利用动态空间面板模型实证检验发现,社会福利指数存在时滞性,且城镇化率与外贸出口占比越高,越有利于提高社会福利水平,而经济增长与工业化对社会福利影响力相对较低。鉴于此,为有效提高中国社会福利,使经济发展与社会福利二者相匹配,本研究提出以下政策建议:首先,学术界应改变传统的福利经济学思维体系,将更多的研究重点放在功能自由与能力自由两方面。其次,各地区应加强区域间交流合作,减少"以邻为壑"现象,促进区域发展一体化。最后,中央与地方政府应转变经济发展模式与理念,加大民生与环境保护方面投入,进而提高居民生活质量。     

基于能值的中国农业绿色经济增长与空间收敛

构造合理的评价指标,对农业绿色经济增长现状及其演变进行客观评估与分析,是实现传统农业向绿色农业转变,促进农业经济可持续发展的迫切要求。本文基于能值理论,对2003—2014年中国及各省域单元农业绿色GDP进行了测算,在此基础上,利用空间分析方法研究我国农业绿色经济增长的空间格局与收敛特征。结果表明:1相较于传统农业GDP,中国人均农业绿色GDP增长相对缓慢,农业绿色GDP占农业传统GDP的比重在80%—85%之间,并呈下降趋势。2我国农业绿色经济增长存在显著的空间集聚,且集聚效应逐渐增强。3人均农业绿色GDP并未打破传统经济增长东部高、西部低的整体格局。东部经济发达地区更高的农业生产效率和西部相对粗放的生产方式是形成这种空间格局的主要原因。4农业人均绿色GDP的收敛分析适用于空间误差自回归模型,考虑了空间自相关因素后得出的收敛速度快于普通收敛分析的收敛速度。因此,准确评价农业经济增长水平需要充分考虑农业增长中的资源环境代价。在今后的发展过程中,我国应实施差别化的农业绿色发展政策,经济发达地区需要进一步减少农业经济增长中的资源环境成本,在继续扩大高增长优势下,促进农业发展的绿色转型。而欠发达地区则应在稳定粮食生产的同时更加注重生态环境保护,努力实现整体跨越式发展。各地区还应加快现代农业技术的转移与扩散,通过增强技术知识的空间溢出效应来提高农业绿色经济增长的收敛速度,尤其是农业发展落后地区应加强与先进地区的交流合作,大力引进先进的农业生产技术与管理经验,提升人力资本水平,以逐步缩小差距,促进农业绿色经济的协调发展。     

宜兴市城市污水处理厂的水污染特征分析

根据对宜兴市污染源分析,结合当地10座污水处理厂的实际调查,在现阶段排放标准下,利用等标污染负荷法评价出污水厂出水的污染特征;同时,对各污水厂进行污染程度排序,筛选出主要污染源区域及其主要污染物。对比分析表明,污水厂出水一级A标准个别指标超过地表水V类水质标准多倍,其出水入河仍对水环境污染负荷有一定影响;就宜兴污水处理厂而言,等标污染负荷分析表明,宜兴清源污水处理厂为主要污染源,出水污染物中TP和COD为其主要污染物。     

IPCC框架下木质林产品碳储核算研究进展:方法选择及关联利益

木质林产品的碳储功能可有效降低大气中二氧化碳的浓度,其碳储量核算已被纳入气候变化缔约国温室气体清单报告,各国基于CBDR原则对木质林产品的碳储计量及贸易流动核算方法学在国家层面的争议及协调,关系到未来在气候变化谈判中的减排责任分配及利益分享。本文首先概括了IPCC历次会议关联木质林产品碳储核算议题及谈判进程,纵向梳理了碳储计量问题的研究进展。其次,对比不同国家和地区关于核算方法的应用及争议,总结不同核算方法在各国间的适用情况及其关联利益。最后,从清单报告和国际贸易角度分析了生产法与储量变化法对林产品碳储计量的不同影响,归纳了不同角度下两种核算方法的适用属性。研究表明:1缔约国附件Ⅰ国家在第二协议期内报告本国木质林产品的碳储量及其变化,在假设本国木质林产品碳储贡献不为零时采用生产法核算碳储量,核算源于本国采伐木的产品碳收支已成为当前缔约国履行气候责任的基本要求;2从清单报告的角度,缔约国基于森林管理参考水平报告碳储量,生产法区别森林管理活动并核算源于可持续森林经营管理的木质林产品碳储量,符合报告的要求;3从国际贸易角度,对于中国等涉及林产品国际贸易的净进口国,储量变化法因考虑到进出口的碳计量,以储量变化法核算碳储量对中国等林产品贸易大国更具优势。     

CO_2 Emissions Embodied in China-U.S.Trade

After the Kyoto Protocol was implemented, carbon leakage exerts great influences on international trade and economy. Trade creates a mechanism for consumers to shift environmental pollution associated with their consumption to other countries. China has overtaken the U.S. as the world＇s biggest CO2 emitter since 2006. As China＇s second largest trade partner, the U.S. has the biggest trade deficit with China which has aroused a lot of disputes between the two parties. But so far the assessments of the trade imbalance of China-U.S. have paid little attention to environmental impacts associated with the trade imbalance. Applied an input-output approach, the article estimates the amount of CO2 embodied in China-U.S. trade during 1997-2007. It was found that through trade with China, the U.S. reduced its CO2 emissions compared with a non-trade scenario. Due to the greater carbon-intensity and relatively less efficient production processes of Chinese industry, China-U.S. trade resulted in more CO2 emissions in China and the world. In the end, the article gives some suggestions： it is equal and sustainable that the international accounting methodologies should be improved, for CO2 emissions responsibility must be designed to account for the dynamic nature of international trade.     

Comparing contaminated property redevelopment for mandatory and Voluntary Cleanup Programs in California

This study uses California data to compare redevelopment for properties subject to mandatory and voluntary cleanup. CalSites are subject to the CERCLA liability approach, while properties in the Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) are subject to a risk-based approach (RBA) that allows some contamination to remain for non-residential redevelopment. The expectation is that VCPs will show a greater proportion of industrial redevelopment, which has the least stringent standard, and a smaller proportion of residential redevelopment. The results show an overall trend toward more residential redevelopment of contaminated properties, but consistent with expectations, the trend is weaker for VCP properties than CalSites.     

Sustainable development—Food security—Agroecology

Basic scenarios of sustainable development for the world community and approaches to the problem of ensuring food security are discussed. The conservation of agricultural resources is the key element of food security. The structure and main objectives of agroecology are characterized in brief.     

Identification and spatial patterns of coastal water pollution sources based on GIS and chemometric approach

Comprehensive and joint applications of GIS and chemometric approach were applied in identification and spatial patterns of coastal water pollution sources with a large data set （5 years （2000-2004）, 17 parameters） obtained through coastal water monitoring of Southern Water Control Zone in Hong Kong. According to cluster analysis the pollution degree was significantly different between September-next May （the 1st period） and June-August （the 2nd period）. Based on these results, four potential pollution sources, such as organic/eutrophication pollution, natural pollution, mineral/anthropic pollution and fecal pollution were identified by factor analysis/principal component analysis. Then the factor scores of each monitoring site were analyzed using inverse distance weighting method, and the results indicated degree of the influence by various potential pollution sources differed among the monitoring sites. This study indicated that hybrid approach was useful and effective for identification of coastal water pollution source and spatial patterns.