Interregional burden-sharing of greenhouse gas mitigation in the United States

Emissions trading is anattractive candidate for implementinggreenhouse gas mitigation, because it canpromote both efficiency and equity. Thispaper analyzes the interregional impacts ofalternative allocations of carbon dioxideemission permits within the U.S. Theanalysis is performed with the aid of anonlinear programming model for ten EPARegions and for six alternative permitdistribution formulas. The reason thatvarious alternatives need to be consideredis that there is no universal consensus onthe best definition of equity. Advanceknowledge of absolute and relative regionaleconomic impacts provides policy-makerswith a stronger basis for making thechoice. The analysis yields several usefulresults. First, the simulations indicatethat no matter how permits are allocated,this policy instrument can substantiallyreduce the cost of GHG mitigation for theU.S. in comparison to a system of fixedquotas for each of its regions. Interestingly, the welfare impacts ofseveral of the allocation formulas differonly slightly despite the large differencesin their philosophical underpinnings. Also, the results for some equity criteriadiffer greatly from their application inthe international domain. For example, theEgalitarian (per capita) criterion resultsin the relatively greatest cost burdenbeing incurred by one of the regions of theU.S. with the lowest per capita income.     

Fisheries management: integrating societal preference, decision analysis, and ecological risk assessment

Fisheries management is the practice of analyzing and selecting options to maintain or alter the structure, dynamics, and interaction of habitat, aquatic biota, and man to achieve human goals and objectives. The theory of fisheries management is: managers or decision makers attempt to maximize renewable `output' from an aquatic resource by choosing from among a set of decision options and applying a set of actions that generate an array of outputs. Outputs may be defined as a tangible catch, a fishing experience, an existence value, or anything else produced or supported by renewable aquatic resources. Overall output is always a mix of tangible and intangible elements. However defined, management goals and objectives are essential components of fisheries management or any other field of renewable natural resource management. Reaching consensus on management goals and objectives has never been a simple task. Beyond the broad and often conflicting goals of an agency, managers must decide who should set specific management objectives — agency personnel, the public, or a combination of the two. Historically, rhetoric aside, fisheries managers in North America nearly always have consulted with professionals in governmental roles to set management objectives. In a strongly pluralistic society, this often resulted in protracted political and legal conflict. Increasingly, there are calls for use of risk assessment to help solve such ecological policy and management problems commonly encountered in fisheries management. The basic concepts of ecological risk assessment may be simple, but the jargon and details are not. Risk assessment (and similar analytical tools) is a concept that has evoked strong reactions whenever it has been used. In spite of the difficulties of defining problems and setting management objectives for complex ecological policy questions, use of risk assessment to help solve ecological problems is widely supported. Ecological risk assessment will be most useful (and objective) in political deliberations when the policy debate revolves around largely technical concerns. To the extent that risk assessment forces policy debate and disagreement toward fundamental differences rather than superficial ones, it will be useful in decision making.     

中国环境产业发展的政策选择

选择中国环境产业发展政策，首先要选择开拓环境产业需求的政策，并着重考虑环境产业的问题经济效益问题和加强环境产业的能力建设。对中国环境产业发展政策进行了研究与分析。     

土地荒漠化的成因、危害及防治对策

土地荒漠化是指在干旱、半干旱和某些半湿润、湿润地区,由于气候变化和人类活动等各种因素所造成的土地退化,它使土地生物和经济生产潜力减少,甚至基本丧失.我国是全球荒漠化面积较大、分布较广、危害较严重的国家之一.近年来由于采取了一系列有效的治理措施,荒漠化和沙化整体扩展的趋势已得到初步遏制,但形势依然严峻.     

豫西地区降水资源对旱地粮食作物产量的影响与对策

本文论述降水资源是旱地粮食作物产量的重要影响因素,揭示了豫西地区主要粮食作物的需水规律和水分盈亏规律,提出运用地理风险决策、实行适水种植的宏观对策。     

浅析中国生态农业建设的基本原则及对策

生态农业建设是一个渐进的过程，相关环境政策要体现可持续发展原则。本文提出了中国生态农业建设应遵循的原则及重点领域，并提出了一些对策及建议。     

旅游踩踏对土壤微生物生物量碳、氮、磷的影响

为了探明旅游活动对张家界国家森林公园土壤微生物活性及多样性的影响,保护土壤生态平衡及合理开发自然保护区提供理论依据,进行了旅游踩踏对土壤微生物生物量碳、氮、磷的影响研究.结果表明,在所设的3个试验区中,0～5cm土壤层的微生物生物量碳、磷受到旅游踩踏的影响最严重,5～15cm土壤层的微生物生物量碳、磷受到旅游踩踏的影响较严重,而15～25cm土壤层的微生物生物量碳、磷受到旅游踩踏的影响最轻,旅游踩踏对所设3个试验区中3个层次土壤的微生物生物量碳、磷的影响均达到了显著水平(p＜0.05).从旅游踩踏对3个土壤层的微生物生物量氮的影响程度来看,0～5cm土壤层的微生物生物量氮受到的影响最严重,5～15cm土壤层的微生物生物量氮受到的影响较严重,而15～25cm土壤层的微生物生物量氮受到的影响最轻,背景区与缓冲区15～25cm土壤层的微生物生物量氮差异没有达到显著水平.说明张家界国家森林公园土壤微生物遭到了旅游踩踏的破坏,抵御外界干扰的能力已受到了旅游踩踏的破坏.     

政策环境影响评价与公众参与——国家有毒化学品立法EIA中的公众参与

阐明在我国开展政策EIA的必要性,从可持续发展的角度探讨政策EIA中公众参与的目的、意义、方法和特点,并介绍和分析国家有毒化学品立法EIA开始阶段中的公众参与。     

机动车污染防治政策研究

机动车污染已成为城市大气污染的主要污染源之一。并且机动车的噪声污染及废旧汽车的废物污染也越来越严重。中国已初步建立了以《大气污染防治法》为主干，以《环境噪声污染防治法》为辅助的机动车污染防治法规体系，但在管理思想及管理手段和管理环节上仍需进一步完善。     

区域土地可持续利用与环境政策-体化

可持续发展应分阶段、分层次地进行，为增强区域土地可持续利用，相关环境政策的制定遵循可持续发展的原则，提出了区域土地可持续利用的评价流程与环境政策形成的循环模式；介绍了国外区域开发环境影响评价的研究进展及区域环境管理规划的主要内容；分析了这一领域的相关法律问题并提出了建议。