Quantifying the sustainability of water use systems: Calculating the balance between network efficiency and resilience

In ecological network theory, network efficiency and resilience are two essential but complementary attributes of the network structure, and a balance between these factors is critical for an ecosystem's long-term sustainability. Our paper introduces this method and related concepts into water use systems to provide a new angle for sustainability quantification. In this paper, we investigate the meanings of network efficiency and resilience in the context of sustainable development of water use systems, and define sustainable systems based on the optimal balance between network efficiency and resilience. With the consideration of complex artificial characteristics of water use, we propose an optimal water use network and quantify its flows. By ascendency calculation, the balanced network structure can be determined. We then use the four sub-basins of China's Haihe River as a case study to illustrate how the optimal network can be constructed and how the optimal balance for each scenario can be calculated. The results show that the optimal balance for the sub-basins has ascendency values ranging from 0.5970 to 0.7161. By analyzing the contribution of each water use activity to network's balance structure, the location of the optimal balance in water use systems can be better understood. This research represents the first attempt to explore the balance between a network structure's efficiency and resilience as a way to quantify the sustainability of water use systems, and builds a foundation for future studies on the assessment, regulation, and management of water resources.     

Assessment of a model of pollution disaster in near-shore coastal waters based on catastrophe theory

In this study, a model for assessing of environmental disasters in near-shore areas was developed using a multi-criteria evaluation method of catastrophe theory. The assessment model involved scenarios of eutrophication, pollution with heavy metals and organic compounds. An evaluation system of the model was composed of seven mesosphere indicators and twenty underlying indicators including water chemistry, water physics, water biology, heavy metals and organic pollutants in water and surface sediments. The model was applied to possibility assessment of environmental disasters in different functional regions of the Dalian Bay in 2001 and 2006. Results showed that the environmental disaster indicators in 2001 were equivalent to the Level 4 standard values of marine functional areas, but the eutrophication disaster indicators were lower than the Level 4 standard values. It is consistent with the occurrence of a large-scale red tide in Dalian Bay in 2001. In 2006, eutrophication remained the dominant problem of the region but organic pollutants, such as oil, were reduced remarkably. This coincided with ongoing local environmental-friendly practices for industries.     

Emergy and emergy algebra explained by means of ingenuous set theory

Emergy is an important concept that has originated several effects in ecology, systems ecology and sustainability science. Its communication, however, has always presented several problems, since it does not follow the same rules of conservation as other energy-based approaches. Attempts have been made to clarify emergy by means of more formal/mathematical approaches, but the problem persists. In this paper, we have introduced a view of emergy and of its algebra based on ingenuous set theory. By means of this simple tool, emergy can be defined as the set of solar exergy that is directly and indirectly necessary to make a product. The operation that correctly sums the emergy “carried” by the inputs to a process is the union. This definition and the operation of union are able to account for all the rules of emergy algebra.     

中国近代灾荒史理论探析

中国近代灾荒史是中国灾荒史的断代史.中国近代灾荒史作为一个研究的有机系统,是由灾害、灾荒、灾因、灾荒社会问题、灾荒救治等子系统组成,各系统又有自己的组成要素,这些架构了中国近代灾荒史的学科体系.中国近代灾荒史与灾害学、社会学、经济史、政治军事史、外交史之间有密切的关系,深入研究中国近代灾荒史,加强灾荒史教育,对今天防灾...     

Towards a relational paradigm in sustainability research,practice, and education

Relational thinking has recently gained increasing prominence across academic disciplines in an attempt to understand complex phenomena in terms of constitutive processes and relations. Interdisciplinary fields of study, such as science and technology studies (STS), the environmental humanities, and the posthumanities, for example, have started to reformulate academic understanding of nature-cultures based on relational thinking. Although the sustainability crisis serves as a contemporary backdrop and in fact calls for such innovative forms of interdisciplinary scholarship, the field of sustainability research has not yet tapped into the rich possibilities offered by relational thinking. Against this background, the purpose of this paper is to identify relational approaches to ontology, epistemology, and ethics which are relevant to sustainability research. More specifically, we analyze how relational approaches have been understood and conceptualized across a broad range of disciplines and contexts relevant to sustainability to identify and harness connections and contributions for future sustainability-related work. Our results highlight common themes and patterns across relational approaches, helping to identify and characterize a relational paradigm within sustainability research. On this basis, we conclude with a call to action for sustainability researchers to co-develop a research agenda for advancing this relational paradigm within sustainability research, practice, and education.     

可持续发展目标下的清洁发展机制项目评价

清洁发展机制（CDM）是《京都议定书》规定的发达国家和发展中国家之间项目级的合作机制，CDM项目的目标之一是促进发展中国家的可持续发展。在京都议定书最终生效的背景下．CDM项目的开发与能力建设成为热点。本文基于多目标决革理论。讨论CDM促进可持续发展与否的评价方法。以国际最新的研究为基础。作者构建了CDM项目可持续评价的指标化体系。建立了评价过程。并将其应用刭具体的案例——内蒙古辉腾锡勒风电CDM项目的评价中。研究可以为中国的CDM潜在项目的选择、比较和批准等实践活动提供定量的方法和思路。这对于中国成为CDM国际合作中的重要参与者以及促进中国的可持续发展都具有重要的意义。     

基于区域化过程的边缘地区发展模式——以南阳市为例

边缘地区的发展问题一直是区域研究中的重点和难点，研究其发展轨迹、机理对于促进经济相对滞后的边缘区域发展具有重要意义。以豫鄂两省交界地区的南阳地区为例，在实地调研基础上，对其处于“核心→边缘”中的区域化过程进行阐述，采用区位商和“三轴图”产业重心方〖JP2〗法对其边缘化过程进行分析，针对南阳地区实际发展状况，提出未来解决边缘化的主要发展模式：（1）“CI”区域形象设计，推行区域形象发展模式；（2）“特色农产品＋农户＋中介＋（市场）明星企业”的农业产业化模式、“特色资源+生态工业园”的工业发展模式；（3）以旅游和物流为主的交通驱动型第三产业发展模式，通过特色模式带动地区经济快速高效发展，以期为南阳地区及同类区域发展提供有益建议。     

Circular Economy Development Mode Based on System Theory

The paper tries to explore circular economy from the viewpoint of the system theory. Circular economy is a kind of complicated economic activity, and it is a wholly new ecotype economy proposed by Western countries after they had summed up many experiences and lessons from traditional economy. It is an entirety and has many layers. It keeps an open and dynamic balance. Because the system theory is the theoretical foundation of circular economy, we should systemically analyze and study circular economy from the macroscopic view, correctly grasp its operational laws, improve its service functions, and realize human beings＇ sustainable development. The paper introduces the content and general characteristics of the system theory and the idea of circular economy. Then it analyzes circular economy based on the system theory. The paper concludes that the integration of circular economy and the system theory can promote the functions of circular economy.     

可持续发展理论在人类认识史上引起的七大变化

可持续发展理论，是人类与自然界和谐发展的理论，是人类于20世纪末在总结成功的实践和失败的教训的基础上形成的一个崭新的发展观念，本文详细论述了可持续发展理论在人类认识史上引起的七大变化。     

山东省人力资本空间结构的分形研究

本文试圈将分形理论及方法引入到区域人力资本空间结构的研究之中，首先利用马尔柯夫转移矩阵对山东省人力资本等级结构进行了预测，在这一基础上，计算出了1992年、1997年和2002年山东省人力资本空间结构的分维数。并对2007年的分维数进行了模拟，结果表明这一分维数不断下降。最后总结了山东省人力资本空间结构的特点。