Refuting the paradigm of water services privatisation

The aim of this article is to question the fundamental assumptions behind privatisation and public–private partnerships. The article shows that instead of radically increasing private sector involvement, public sector reforms should be seriously considered. Public–private partnerships should be implemented so that the strengths of all the stakeholders may be fully utilised.     

On the origins of informal hierarchy: The interactive role of formal leadership and task complexity

Informal hierarchies are a common and important feature of many groups, yet we know little about the antecedent conditions that determine the strength of such hierarchies. Building on theory that has depicted hierarchy as a mechanism for reducing uncertainty and creating structure, we posit that informal hierarchies emerge most strongly in situations that are ambiguous, ill‐defined, and unstructured. Three independent studies confirm this notion, demonstrating that groups develop particularly strong informal hierarchies in situations characterized by both a lack of strong formal leadership and high task complexity. These findings support the theoretical notion that formal and informal hierarchies are closely related, but only under conditions of high task complexity in which the structuring functions of hierarchies are most crucial.     

Evaluating Children's Conservation Biology Learning at the Zoo

Millions of children visit zoos every year with parents or schools to encounter wildlife firsthand. Public conservation education is a requirement for membership in professional zoo associations. However, in recent years zoos have been criticized for failing to educate the public on conservation issues and related biological concepts, such as animal adaptation to habitats. I used matched pre‐ and postvisit mixed methods questionnaires to investigate the educational value of zoo visits for children aged 7–15 years. The questionnaires gathered qualitative data from these individuals, including zoo‐related thoughts and an annotated drawing of a habitat. A content analysis of these qualitative data produced the quantitative data reported in this article. I evaluated the relative learning outcomes of educator‐guided and unguided zoo visits at London Zoo, both in terms of learning about conservation biology (measured by annotated drawings) and changing attitudes toward wildlife conservation (measured using thought‐listing data). Forty‐one percent of educator‐guided visits and 34% of unguided visits resulted in conservation biology‐related learning. Negative changes in children's understanding of animals and their habitats were more prevalent in unguided zoo visits. Overall, my results show the potential educational value of visiting zoos for children. However, they also suggest that zoos’ standard unguided interpretive materials are insufficient for achieving the best outcomes for visiting children. These results support a theoretical model of conservation biology learning that frames conservation educators as toolmakers who develop conceptual resources to enhance children's understanding of science. Evaluación del Aprendizaje de Biología de la Conservación por Niños en el Zoológico Jensen     

三峡库区(重庆段)涨落带土地资源的开发利用模式初探

三峡水库是我国特大型水利枢纽工程,到2009年水库全部建成运行后将出现一个落差达30m的涨落带。涨落带土地肥沃,出露水面的时间长,光、热、水、土条件匹配好,有较大的开发价值。对涨落带进行保护性的开发利用,将缓解库区的人地矛盾、促进库区小康进程与可持续发展。论文以三峡库区的主体--重庆段为例,论述了三峡重庆库区涨落带土地资源的分布、特征及开发价值;阐明了涨落带土地资源开发利用应注意的5个原则问题;结合库区气候、地貌及水位变动等条件,初步探讨了涨落带土地资源开发利用的6种模式;对开发利用中可能存在的生态与环境问题进行了分析,提出了有针对性的建议;为合理制定涨落带的土地资源利用与保护规划提供科学依据。     

Determinants of foreign direct investment in the mining sector in Asia: A comparison between China and India

The aim of this paper is to assess the conditions that influence foreign direct investment in the mineral industries of China and India. The paper first surveys literature on the determinants of foreign direct investment to identify key conditions, under which host countries attract mining FDI. It then builds an evaluative framework which allows for comparative analysis. The paper then comparatively evaluates the performance of foreign investment regimes that govern mineral industries in China and India. Its findings show that the overall conditions for foreign mining investment in China and India are not favourable and that substantial policy, regulatory and other changes in both countries need to be made if more investment is to flow.     

Environmental regulation and competitive performance: new evidence from a sectoral study

Economic theory provides different perspectives on the relationship between environmental regulation and company environmental and competitive performance. A frequently analysed issue refers to the impact of environmental regulation on company performance. Using qualitative data collected within the recently completed Environmental regulation and Market forces Providing Incentives for Resource Efficiency (EMPIRE) project, we analysed the relationship between environmental regulation and company competitiveness, operating in the building and construction (B&C) sector. Empirical evidence from the correlation analysis emphasises that environmental regulation can be an important driver of competitive performance improvements in relevant segments of the European B&C sector.     

北京市非正规垃圾填埋场垃圾成分特性

通过北京市3处典型非正规垃圾填埋场与1处正规垃圾卫生填埋场对比研究,结果表明,非正规垃圾填埋场与正规垃圾填埋场陈腐垃圾物理组成相近,但非正规垃圾填埋场有机物含量更低,同时垃圾分布不均匀;以建筑渣土为主的区域有机质含量一般低于5%;以生活垃圾为主的区域有机质含量与正规垃圾场相近,一般高于10%,内部最高温度可达42℃左右。     

非正规填埋场矿化垃圾理化性质与资源化利用研究

为探索非正规垃圾填埋场矿化垃圾资源化利用问题,以广东省东莞市常平镇桥沥垃圾填埋场矿化垃圾为例,多点采集样品经人工分拣和不同粒径段筛分后,对其物理组成和化学性质进行了分析.结果表明:矿化垃圾中腐殖土主要在40mm粒径段以下,占47.3%,塑料、织物及木竹等可燃轻质垃圾主要在大于80mm粒径段,占40.1%;工程筛分粒径可选40mm,筛上物主要为可燃物,筛下物主要为腐殖土;按照有机肥堆肥腐熟标准,筛下物腐殖土基本可达到腐熟,营养物质含量达到《城市生活垃圾农用标准》(GB8172-1987)要求,但部分重金属含量超标;矿化垃圾经筛分后的轻质垃圾,热值约为6000kJ/kg,可直接进行焚烧处理,将其制备成垃圾衍生燃料(RDF)后,热值可达10000~24000kJ/kg.     

非正规垃圾填埋场土壤和地下水重金属污染特征与评价

为了解非正规垃圾填埋场土壤和地下水重金属污染状况,以江西乱石湾垃圾填埋场周边土壤和地下水为研究对象,对研究区进行采样分析,应用内梅罗综合污染指数法和美国环保局地下水健康风险评价模型对该垃圾填埋场土壤和地下水中重金属污染物进行含量特征分析与评价。结果表明,Cr(Ⅵ)、Cd、Cu、Pb重金属是填埋场土壤中的主要污染物,区域所有采样点的内梅罗综合污染指数平均值为2. 20,说明土壤受中度重金属污染; Cr(Ⅵ)是填埋场地下水的主要污染物,所有采样点的综合污染指数平均值为0. 89,说明地下水总体处于警戒线等级;致癌健康风险值在2. 32×10~(-4)～1. 69×10~(-3)/a之间,是国际委员会推荐值的4. 64～33. 8倍,致癌风险水平为Cr(Ⅵ)NiAsCd;非致癌健康风险值在2. 54×10~(-10)～9. 72×10~(-9)/a之间,致癌类重金属的个人年健康风险值是非致癌类重金属的10~5～10~6倍,说明该区域的致癌风险极大,应引起重视。     

环境规制对资源型城市产业结构转型的影响

基于中国2003～2016年115个资源型城市,利用固定效应模型和中介效应模型,研究环境规制对产业结构转型的影响及绿色技术创新在这一过程中所发挥的中介作用.结果表明,从整体看,正式与非正式环境规制均能显著地促进产业结构向合理化、高级化转型,且非正式环境规制的促进作用更为明显.此外,绿色技术创新在环境规制促进产业结构转型...