关于企业环境保护审计的初探

从环保审计的现状入手，分析目前企业环保审计难以向纵深发展的主要原因，提出实施企业环保审计的最佳切入点，将环保审计融入常规审计之中，并对环保审计提出配套的措施，确保环保审计适应现代化企业的发展。     

Sustainable cities: do political factors determine the quality of life?

The implementation of urban sustainability practices is affected by political obstacles, and diverse political ideologies may defend different city models. Sustainable policy design could also be affected by several factors that cause the deflection of resources initially allocated to other groups that are contrary to the concerns pursued and have the power to veto sustainable plans by exerting pressure on the party in power.In this sense, the aim of this paper is to show the impact that political factors have on cities’ sustainability, and the effect of both on cities’ economic development. To do so, we used the 78 Spanish cities with a population over 100,000 studied by MERCO (Spanish Corporate Reputation Monitor) as regards their levels of sustainability for the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. Both relationships have been tested empirically through two dependence models using linear regression techniques.The results obtained show that political competition improves cities’ sustainability, while a leftist ideology has an inverse impact. On the other hand, a significant direct relationship has been observed between urban sustainability and municipal economic activity.     

Optimization of the high-pressure, near-critical liquid-based microsortation of recyclable post-consumer plastics

High-pressure, near-critical liquids were used as float-sink separation media for the microsortation of polyolefin mixtures and PET/PVC mixtures. Near-critical carbon dioxide was used for the refinement of the polyolefins, and sulfur hexafluoride was used to separate post-consumer PVC from PET. Preliminary experiments indicated that there was no overlap in the density ranges of post-consumer HDPE, LDPE and PP containers. There was no overlap in the PET and PVC densities, with the exception of a single PVC packaging material with a density in the PET range. These initial results indicated that a float-sink separation was a viable means of microsortation. Separations of 91% LDPE (1/8′ beads)/9% PP (1/8′ chopped strands) resin mixtures and mixed post-consumer polyolefin flakes were then conducted in a laboratory-scale, 1-I batch apparatus. This apparatus not only permitted the observation of the separation, but also enabled the separated fractions to be removed from the high-pressure environment. The results indicated that LDPE purity of greater than 98.9% was obtained in 3 min or less if (a) the fluid density was 0.018 g/cm³ greater than the PP density and only 0.002 g/cm³ less than the LDPE density, thereby providing the greatest buoyancy force for the removal of the PP, (b) the fluid was recirculated upward through the bed of mixed plastics, facilitating the upward movement of the PP, and (c) the loading was kept at levels below 40% by volume. HDPE purity of 99% was also attained with clean, dry, post-consumer mixed plastic flakes. The loadings for these separations were very low, however, due to the difficulty in agitating the mixed bed of plastics using fluid recirculation. An economic analysis of these microsortation processes indicated that the value of the sorted plastics relative to the mixed feed must increase by approx. $0.08/lb for the CO₂-based separation and approx. $0.27/lb for the SF₆-based separation to justify the implementation of these high-pressure processes.     

Investment and future mineral production

The author reviews recent estimates of world resources and reserves and notes that reserves tend to grow with mineral consumption. Legal and economic constraints to the extraction of minerals are at least as important as physical availability. The author also points out that there is far more investment in minerals (government induced investment, companies diversifying into mining, etc) than some commentators suggest. However, the large mining projects of the 1960s belong to the past, and supplies of minerals may well become tight if there is a concerted economic boom.     

Participation for understanding: an interactive method

INTRODUCTION: There are many available models that help evaluate the effectiveness of safety and health measures, but many are complex and require input from many departments within an organization. There is a need to develop a more user-friendly model. METHOD: A participative model was developed that involves face-to-face interviewers with workers, maintenance department, purchasing department and health and safety experts. They were asked about costs, efforts, benefits, and effects of gauging the effects of prevention efforts. RESULTS: Cost effectiveness analyses are essential in all cases and can include whatever the end-user requires, whether it is a small or lasting improvement. Having management participate helps validate the data. CONCLUSIONS: Organizations who collaborate with someone with at least some skill in cost-benefit evaluations will find that they will be able to establish policies and procedures from the data. The end result is a calculation that is understood by all involved.     

The potential-method--an economic evaluation tool

INTRODUCTION: Measuring the effect of safety and health on production is a difficult value to gauge. METHOD: This article introduces the Potential, which is an instrument for economic analysis that incorporates different changes in conditions. RESULTS: While there are a number of problems associated with methods to determine these calculations, this method is a good indicator of the effects of safety and health and produces more than 300 variables with much less input. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: Organizations can use this method effectively to determine how safety and health measure can improve their bottom line. A positive business case is highlighted.     

Economic growth,international trade,and the depletion or conservation of renewable natural resources

Conservation of renewable natural resources and promotion of economic growth are both sustainable development goals. Here, we study the interdependency between economic growth, international trade, and the use of renewable natural resources—under alternative institutional settings of either open access or full property rights—in an endogenous growth model. We find that if the resource is depleted over time, consumption growth is reduced. Economic growth and international trade only impact resource use when the resource is harvested under full property rights. Then, widening international trade can lead countries to shift from conservation to depletion. Changes in the institutional setting of resource use in one country may have repercussions on trading partners. Our results indicate potential trade-offs between the sustainable development goals and imply that policies focusing on resource use or trade (e.g., international trade bans or certified trade) are not sufficient to prevent resource depletion.     

水资源约束下西北干旱区城市扩张特征与变动趋势分析——以西陇海兰新经济带城市为例

论文以西北干旱区陇海兰新经济带城市为例,分析了城市水资源利用状况及其短缺程度,认为绝大多数城市“缺水又费水”,城市发展具有明显的“旱生性”。在水资源约束下,西陇海兰新经济带城市的发育程度远远落后于东部地区城市,也落后于全国城市平均水平,略好于西部地区城市,但明显好于西北地区城市,城市扩张的总体特征表现为以总量扩张为主,“农转非”空间和用地拓展空间大,以高耗低效扩张为主,水土资源投入产出效益普遍低下,城市发展处在主要依靠资源开发拉动经济增长的低级阶段,扩张质量有待提高。城市发展具有明显的外部推动性。未来20a,在水资源短缺的继续约束下,经济带城市扩张步伐将比较缓慢,扩张幅度将不会有大的变化。表现为将净增城市非农业人口6.31×106人,城市化水平将提高到35.97%,20a共净增7.21%,特大城市数量将保持西安、兰州和乌鲁木齐3个不变;大城市从无到有,将建成宝鸡、咸阳、铜川、天水、石河子和库尔勒6个;中等城市数量将会显著增加,由2000年的10个增加到2020年的14个,在不考虑“县改市”的前提下,小城市的数量将会进一步减少。为了确保经济带沿线城市的有序扩张,建议在城市建设过程中以人为本,以水为生命线,以经济发展为动力,以城市规划为法定依据。     

影子工程法计算矿山生态经济损失

矿山开采生产主要的环境影响是生态影响,以抚顺新宾榆树铁矿为例,利用影子工程法对矿山开采进行环境经济损失分析,包括生态资源的经济损失和生态系统功能受到影响的经济损失,可用于矿区环境经济损益分析并作为相关建设项目的借鉴。