Physiological and metabolic effect of mercury accumulation in higher plants system

Heavy metals, lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) are non-essential elements. Plants absorb these metals from soil, water and air through their roots and leaves. Heavy metals are the major environmental pollutants, which spread to soil through the use of pesticides, herbicides and micronutrient fertilizers, industrial effluents, decay of junk materials and sewage sludge, vehicular emissions, re-suspended road dust, diesel generator sets and coal-based thermal power plants. Sewage and sludge have contributed to heavy metal contamination of peri-urban lands and vegetable crops. The present review focuses on the effects of various concentrations of Hg on growth of young and mature seedlings as well as on nitrate reductase activity and nitrate assimilation in intact and excised seedling, especially the mechanism underlying nitrate reductase regulation by this heavy metal. Evidence indicates that mercury exerts significant adverse effects on the physiological activity of plants.     

Tax evasion and optimal environmental taxes

This paper introduces a new argument to the debate about the role of environmental taxes in modern tax systems. Some environmental taxes, particularly taxes on gasoline or electricity, are more difficult to evade than taxes on labor or income. When the tax base is shifted in a revenue-neutral manner toward these environmental taxes, the result is a net reduction in the amount of tax evasion. Using a carbon tax as a motivating example, the “tax evasion effect” is shown to sharply reduce the welfare cost of controlling emissions. A simple computable general equilibrium model suggests that the impact of considering tax evasion can be large: costs are lowered by 28% in the United States, by 89% in China, and by 97% in India. In countries with high levels of pre-existing tax evasion, a carbon tax will pay for itself through improvements in the efficiency of the tax system.     

Disaster risk reduction and the evolution of physical development regulation

In 1984 the Mitigation Implementation Conference recognized the need for effective management of urban development in terms of building standards and land-use zonation. In the intervening 25 years, significant progress has been made in the development of building codes and hazard mapping for disaster risk reduction; however, the failure to promulgate, implement and enforce regulation of development has resulted in the dramatic expansion of exposure and risk. It is now necessary to re-assess regulatory policy and practice. New approaches to regulatory compliance must be explored, including participatory regulation and reliance on cultural and religious bases for individual commitment to community safety.     

安全生产的《刑法》规制探析

以行政责任为主的安全生产法律责任模式在我国的安全生产中发挥了重要的作用。但是,随着我国生产力的发展和生产规模的扩大,仅仅依靠行政处罚不能促使生产经营单位真正承担起安全生产主体责任,安全生产实践活动表现出了强烈的刑罚诉求,没有刑罚的威慑作用作为支撑,安全生产工作的成效就难以保障。虽然安全生产法律体系中规定了不少刑事责任的内容,但现行安全生产法律制度与刑法相关制度之间的衔接存在众多问题。通过探析两者之间存在的问题和联系,实现《安全生产法》与《刑法》的无缝对接,充分发挥《刑法》的安全生产规制功能,促进安全发展理念的落实。     

Abolition of set-aside schemes, associated impacts on habitat structure and modelling of potential effects of cross-farm regulation

In intensively farmed regions, habitat fragmentation represents a major pressure on biodiversity. Depending on its spatial setting, set-aside land can increase size and connectivity of habitats and thus counteract fragmentation. In 2008, the EU-wide set-aside obligation was suspended and a large proportion of set-aside land was re-cultivated. With Denmark as case we apply an indicator to measure the effect of set-aside land on spatial structure of semi-natural habitats in term of habitat size and connectivity. Furthermore, we model effects of a hypothetical spatial regulation, where set-aside land with the greatest benefit for habitat structure is retained as uncultivated, while set-aside land with the least effect is re-cultivated. The model is applied to individual farms and to farm agglomerations of increasing sizes, enabling us to explore potential effects of cross-farm regulation. The novelty of our approach is the application of observed land-uses changes for modelling a hypothetical regulation working on a range of spatial scales. Results show that after abolition of set-aside schemes the effect of set-aside land on habitat structure was more than halved. Modelled spatial regulation considerably reduces impacts. Effects increase with increasing size of farm agglomerations. However, marginal benefits become negligible at agglomeration sizes over 36 km².     

西藏色季拉山川滇高山栎种群的空间格局与调节

川滇高山栎是青藏高原具有代表性的常绿阔叶树种,在藏东南林区大面积连续分布,对高山峡谷地带的水土保持和水源涵养具有重要的防护作用和较大的生态效益.采用聚集度指标、以空间推时间法的Logistic方程和种群调节的乘幂函数拟合分别对西藏色季拉山川滇高山栎种群的空间分布格局、增长与调节规律进行了研究.结果表明,川滇高山栎幼苗多呈聚集分布,随着演替的进展,川滇高山栎种群的聚集强度减小;川滇高山栎种群增长的环境容纳量为15.2085m2hm-2,内禀增长率为0.614;种群最大增长速率出现在胸断面积9.66m2hm-2处,种群在平均胸断面积46.23cm2(均胸径7cm)~198.723cm2(均胸径15.91cm)阶段自疏强度最大.川滇高山栎种群聚集强度随演替过程逐渐减弱,是种群在有限的环境容量中自疏和自我调节特征的明显表现.Logistic方程即反映了生物种群增长速度的变化和环境容量限制的时滞效应这一重要特征,种群调节的幂函数拟合则有效刻画了生物种群在大量繁殖之后,随着个体增大,个体间资源竞争增强,种群内部出现优胜劣汰的自我调节过程.图4表2参32     

流域、区域、生态——湖泊环境治理的战略思考

湖泊富营养化问题是生态问题,是湖泊所在流域环境问题的集中反映,生态问题应该通过生态途径来解决。调控流域水环境的关键在农村,农村环境污染控制主要靠生态治污来解决。只有把流域作为一个完整的生态系统,调整系统中各种因素之间的关系,实现生态系统的平衡,才能从根本上解决湖泊水环境问题。     

关于消费者对转基因农产品认知的调查

调查发现有不少声称调查前就对转基因农产品“知道一点”,但了解的程度却有很大差别,其实更多的人并不真正了解,在对待基因农产品的态度上表现出相当的规律性：虽然都比较关注对生产转基因农产品给农民带来的收入,但更多的是关注对生态环境和人体健康的影响,希望加强管理。不同年龄、婚姻状态、性别和不同收入水平的人对转基因农产品的认知程度和态度虽然有很大程度的相似性,但也有相当程度的不同。     

PROMOTING GROUND WATER POLLUTION PREVENTION IN SMALL BUSINESSES1

ABSTRACT: Although they have not been the focus of major regulations, small businesses can contribute pollutants to ground water through routine practices. Because strict regulation of millions of micro firms is not likely, water resource professionals face a challenge of how to reach small business operators with effective pollution prevention messages. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence a small business operator to adopt measures that reduce potential ground water pollution. We looked at how information delivery, internal business characteristics, and external relationships are associated with voluntary preventive measures. Mail surveys from small businesses in New Jersey municipalities and interviews with business owners provided data about business characteristics and current pollution prevention activities. Findings suggested that businesses doing the most to prevent ground water pollution were generally more connected to external organizations and had more financial and technical resources. The study also discovered that small business owners fear government involvement in their affairs. The study concludes with recommendations to encourage more voluntary adoption of prevention measures by businesses. These center on separating assistance programs from enforcement and involving industry peer groups in an effort to make information available in a non-threatening manner.     

Behavior of beaver in lakes with varying water levels in Northern Minnesota

We studied the effects of winter water drawdowns (2.3 m) on beavers in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, USA. Our study was designed to sample areas within the park that differed in water drawdown regime. Lodges were counted and beavers were livetrapped and radio-implanted to study behavior, movements, and mortality. Active beaver lodge density, determined by aerial survey in 1984 and 1986, was greatest along the shoreline of the drawdown reservoir. In winter beavers living on the drawdown reservoir spent less time inside their lodges than did beavers from stable water environments, foraged more above ice, and they were unable to fully use stored food. Only one case of starvation in the drawdown reservoir was documented, but beavers in reservoirs that were drawn down survived winter in poorer condition than did beavers living in areas in which water levels remained high. In spite of an increasing population and lack of widespread mortality, winter water drawdowns did alter beaver behavior. To reduce these impacts, total annual water fluctuation should not exceed 1.5 m, and winter drawdown should not exceed 0.7 m. Possible management alternatives and costs are discussed.