Balancing environmental and industry sustainability: A case study of the US gold mining industry

Mandatory insurance requirements and/or mitigation fees (royalties) for mining companies may help reduce environmental risk exposure for the federal government. Mining is examined since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxic Release Inventory reveals that this sector produces more hazardous waste than any other industrial sector. Although uncommon, environmental expense can exceed hundreds of millions of dollars per development. Of particular concern is the potential for mines to become unfunded Superfund sites. Monte Carlo simulation of risk exposure is used to establish a plausible range of unfunded federal liabilities associated with cyanide-leach gold mining. A model is developed to assess these costs and their impact on both the federal budget and corporate profitability (i.e., industry sustainability), particularly if such costs are borne by offending firms.     

Wood bison population recovery and forage availability in northwestern Canada

Forage availability was assessed to determine sustainable stocking rates for eight broadly defined vegetation types (Treed Uplands, Treed Lowlands, Mixed Tall Shrub/Sedge, Closed-canopied Willow, and Open-canopied Willow, Meadow, Wetland Grass, Wetland Sedge) for use by wood bison (Bison bison athabascae), a threatened subspecies, in the Canadian boreal forest of northern Alberta. Clip plots (n=108) were used to sample peak availability of herbs and current annual growth of Salix spp. in late summer. Graminoid wetlands dominated by Carex atherodes, Carex aquatilis, Carex utriculata, Scolochloa festucacea, or Calamagrostis stricta produced 1975-4575 kg ha(-1) of fair to good quality forage, whereas treed stands produced < 250 kg ha(-1) of forb-dominated forage (>85% content), which was below a published 25% foraging efficiency threshold of 263 kg ha(-1) for bison. Upland forests that dominate the region produced < or = 1 animal unit day (AUD) of forage per hectare in summer. Most forest understory plants were of poor forage value, suggesting the potential sustainable stocking rate of such areas was actually < or = 0.3 AUD ha(-1), with even lower rates during winter due to snow cover. Herbaceous wetlands contained approximately 78 AUD ha(-1) of forage, but were considered largely unavailable in summer because of flooding and soft organic soils that make access difficult. Conversion of prime foraging habitat to agricultural land, forest expansion due to fire control, and a warmer and wetter climatic regime after the mid-1900s likely contributed to a regional reduction in carrying capacity. It is hypothesized that substantial recovery of the wood bison population toward historical levels will be constrained in northern Alberta by the availability of summer forage, and the limited extent of graminoid wetlands that provide winter foraging habitat.     

An analysis of assessment outcomes from eight years' operation of the Australian border weed risk assessment system

The majority of Australian weeds are exotic plant species that were intentionally introduced for a variety of horticultural and agricultural purposes. A border weed risk assessment system (WRA) was implemented in 1997 in order to reduce the high economic costs and massive environmental damage associated with introducing serious weeds. We review the behaviour of this system with regard to eight years of data collected from the assessment of species proposed for importation or held within genetic resource centres in Australia. From a taxonomic perspective, species from the Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae were most likely to be rejected and those from the Arecaceae and Flacourtiaceae were most likely to be accepted. Dendrogram analysis and classification and regression tree (TREE) models were also used to analyse the data. The latter revealed that a small subset of the 35 variables assessed was highly associated with the outcome of the original assessment. The TREE model examining all of the data contained just five variables: unintentional human dispersal, congeneric weed, weed elsewhere, tolerates or benefits from mutilation, cultivation or fire, and reproduction by vegetative propagation. It gave the same outcome as the full WRA model for 71% of species. Weed elsewhere was not the first splitting variable in this model, indicating that the WRA has a capacity for capturing species that have no history of weediness. A reduced TREE model (in which human-mediated variables had been removed) contained four variables: broad climate suitability, reproduction in less or than equal to 1year, self-fertilisation, and tolerates and benefits from mutilation, cultivation or fire. It yielded the same outcome as the full WRA model for 65% of species. Data inconsistencies and the relative importance of questions are discussed, with some recommendations made for improving the use of the system.     

Perceived and actual wildfire danger: An economic and spatial analysis study in Colorado (USA)

Over the last 20 years, costs for wildfire initial attack in the U.S. have increased significantly. The increased cost relates to wildfire suppression practices, as well as the growing number of homes in the wildland urban interface. Requiring wildland urban interface residents to pay an annual tax for their wildfire risk could lower costs to the general taxpayer. Willingness-to-pay for wildfire prevention, in relation to both perceived and actual wildfire danger, was the focus of this study. Surveyed Colorado wildland urban interface residents were found to have a high awareness of wildfire risk and were willing-to-pay over $400 annually to reduce this risk. Respondents' beliefs about wildfire frequency were comparable to the wildfire regimes of their areas' pre-European settlement.     

Convergence or divergence in desertification risk? Scale-based assessment and policy implications in a Mediterranean country

This paper explores changes (1990–2000) in two environmental indexes with the aim of providing empirical evidence on regional and local convergence in an increasing-impact phenomenon such as Land Degradation (LD) in Italy. Convergence analysis for ESAI (Environmental Sensitive Area Index) and LVI (Land Vulnerability Index) was developed at five different geographical scales. Results indicate that territorial disparities in land vulnerability tend to increase during the investigated period following a defined spatial pattern that depends on land quality, the environmental context and the economic performance of regional systems. Finally, the implications this process has on policy strategies aimed at mitigating desertification risk are discussed.     

金融危机对中国发展碳金融的影响及对策分析

2007年以来,席卷全球的金融危机已经对世界各国的金融体系造成了或大或小的影响,这对于全球碳金融市场——这个刚刚起步并稍显呈现欣欣向荣之势的市场无疑是一个利空消息。本文总结了国际碳交易市场在金融危机来袭时的表现,着重分析了中国通过清洁发展机制参与国际碳金融市场并受金融危机影响的表现,探讨了在金融危机的大环境中,中国作为发展中国家如何在危机中寻求生存并发展。     

OHS风险控制方法在烟气排放控制工程中的应用

介绍了烟气排放控制工程中OHS风险控制的方法,并以香港青山“B”电厂4X680MW机组排放控制工程（CPBEC）为例,阐述了目前国内外环保项目在OHS风险管理方面的差距和改进措施。     

公众灾害风险可接受性与避灾意愿的初探——以川渝地区旱灾风险为例

在综述前人研究的基础上,以川渝地区旱灾为例,通过实地调查与访谈,从公众可接受的旱灾损失与频率、假定旱灾风险情景下的避险意愿等角度,对公众旱灾风险可接受性进行了初步探讨。结果表明,公众合理可接受的旱灾损失与频率分别在26.5%~52.8%与32.0%~64.3%区间范围内;并以一般旱灾、严重旱灾风险情景为限制线,确定了公众合理可接受风险区域;随着灾害损失风险增加,公众规避风险投资意愿呈现出中间高两头低的趋势,当灾害损失达到约50%~70%时,公众避险投资意愿达到最高,意愿避险投资占可能损失的比重约为62%。鉴于川渝地区的旱灾形势,今后旱灾风险管理的关键,一是加强对旱灾的监测与预警预报;二是完善旱灾风险的常规化管理,发展高效灌溉农业,充分利用客水资源,完善提高现有农田水网建设;三是积极探索公众-企业-政府多方共同参与的高效风险管理模式。     

我国冬小麦霜冻灾害致灾因子危险度评价——基于作物生育阶段气象指标

霜冻是一种威胁农业生产的气象灾害,对其致灾因子危险度的研究,可为大尺度的作物霜冻灾害区划及农业保险提供依据。根据作物生长发育的阶段性原理,以全国751个气象台站56年的逐日最低气温资料以及作物生育期资料为基础,统计得到冬小麦各个生育阶段不同灾害等级（轻霜冻、中霜冻、重霜冻）的年霜冻日数,并计算出冬小麦全生育期内不同等级霜冻的发生概率,基于以上两项指标对冬小麦霜冻致灾因子危险度做出评价。结果表明,研究期内重霜冻年霜日最大值为129d,而轻霜冻和中霜冻霜日最大值分别为23 d和19 d,冬小麦受重霜冻危害时间较长;冬小麦霜冻的频发区、多发区、少发区从北向南依次分布,随着霜冻等级增加,频发区的面积差异不大,但多发区的面积减小、少发区面积增大;冬小麦霜冻灾害危险度等级最低的地区主要分布在低纬度的几个省份,如海南、广东、广西、云南等,危险度等级最高的地区集中在青藏高原地区。     

基于GIS技术的汶川8.0级地震诱发地质灾害危险性评价——以四川省安县为例

通过汶川8．0级地震后对绵阳市安县地震诱发地质灾害的应急调查和遥感解译,共获得地质灾害点187处。在此基础上,利用GIS技术对地震诱发地质灾害分布与发震断裂距离、坡度、岩性、水系等因素的关系进行统计分析。结果表明,地震诱发地质灾害在区域上沿断裂带呈带状分布和沿水系呈线状分布的特点;地震诱发的地质灾害与地形坡度有很大的关系,绝大部分的灾害点集中在15&#176;-45&#176;的范围内;地震诱发的地质灾害与地形有很好的对应关系,北部高山地区地质灾害数量明显高于南部平原区;滑坡多发生在千枚岩、泥页岩等软岩中且多为土质滑坡,而岩浆岩等硬岩中多发生崩塌。