Consumer Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Indicative, Legitimation, and Regulatory Role in Agricultural and Food Ethics

Disputes over agriculture and foodproduction have occurred against a background ofdisputed authority with regard to governments,experts, and single issue pressure groups. Consumershave intervened in quite significant ways with manyaltering their buying patterns. The conventionalassessment of consumer ``preferences' throughaggregated purchases fails to reflect the ethicalnature of significant numbers of purchase decisions.Nevertheless, consumers seem to offer a wider basis onwhich to consider ethical issues. The author proposesthat a valuable inclusion of consumer opinion in thedebates would require a move away from neo-classicaleconomics and the selective inclusion of consumeropinion to unravel the complexity of (aggregated)consumer behavior. It is argued that Hirschman'sframework of ``exit, voice, and loyalty' is a moreappropriate tool for the understanding of ethics infood consumption.     

Pollution perception: A challenge for intergenerational equity

In this article we extend the recent literature on overlapping generations and pollution by allowing generations to perceive the level of pollution differently than the actual level of pollution. We call this pollution perception. Pollution perception can visualize itself as either a concern for the flow of pollution only, or for the stock, or a combination of both. We derive this extension based on empirical evidence from recent advances in behavioural economics.Pollution perception has not only significant consequences for the steady state levels of pollution and capital, but we also find a qualitative change in the dynamics from similar models without pollution perception [A. John, R. Pecchenino, An overlapping generations model of growth and the environment, Econ. J. 104 (1994) 1393–1410]. Specifically, we derive optimal non-linear dynamics through complex eigenvalues and Hopf or Flip bifurcations for a large set of parameters. This leads to violations of two standard criteria of sustainability, suggesting that pollution perception can be another source of intergenerational inequity.     

The investigation of metal concentrations in street dust samples in Aqaba city,Jordan

The concentrations of metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Cd, Ni, Mn and Co) in 140 street dust samples were collected from Aqaba city, Jordan. These samples were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry after digestion with aqua regia. The highest levels of metal concentrations were found in the samples from heavy traffic. While the lowest levels of metal ions were noted in the street dust samples from hospital and health centers and school gardens. The results of this study were compared with several cities around the world. The levels of the metal concentrations found were generally below the mean world-wide values of street dust samples. Metal values in urban street dust samples were several times higher than the control levels. The statistical analyses were applied to the data matrix to determine the analytical results and to identify the possible source of pollution in the studied area. Correlations between the metal concentrations of the street dust samples were obtained. Factor analysis showed that the area was mainly influenced by three sources, namely lithogenic, traffic, and industrial.     

甘肃干旱、半干旱地区尘类污染特征分析

本文用近１０年来ＴＳＰ、降尘监测数据对甘肃省干旱、半干旱地区尘类污染进行了较系统、全面地分析。总结出省内不同区域内尘污染时空分布特征,进一步阐明尘类污染是影响我省城市大气环境的重要指标。     

环境污染源监测中的警示性分析

利用概率论有关知识,对污染源监测数据进行处理、分析、建立数字模型。依该模型可即时捕捉发生环境污染的警示性信号。     

扬州市区大气环境污染特征分析及其防治对策

以扬州市区“八五"期间大气环境监测数据为基础,评价了大气环境质量的现状,分析了大气污染特征及其产生原因,揭示了污染变化规律,指出了市区大气环境存在的主要问题。最后,提出了市区大气污染防治对策。      

我国汽车尾气污染的催化净化

介绍了近年来汽车尾气催化剂的研究概况,总结了催化剂中常用助剂,特别是稀土助剂在汽车尾气催化剂中的作用。对有关的非贵金属催化剂的文献进行了归纳比较,并展望了催化剂的发展趋势      

中国排污收费标准体系的改革设计

排污收费标准是中国排污收费制度的核心。设计一个与市场经济相适应的新的排污收费标准,是改革中国排污收费制度的重要前提条件。本文在分析现行的排污收费标准基础上,提出了满足不同政策需求的若干种排污收费标准方案,并进行了多方案比较。作者建议,为确保国家污染物排放总量控制目标的实现,应尽快试点和推行污染物总量收费标准。      

沈阳市机动车排放污染控制

综述了沈阳市机动车的发展与现状 ,着重探讨了沈阳市机动车尾气给人民生活带来的危害和解决办法 ,讨论了问题的所在 ,并对未来沈阳机动车尾气治理提出建议。     

城市路边沉积物中Pb、Cu污染调查与评价

对连云港市商业区路边沉积物中Pb和Cu的含量及污染程度进行了调查。结果表明,连云港市商业区路边沉积物中Pb的算术平均值为97．24mg／kg。是我国A层土壤算术平均值的3．7倍,沉积物中Cu的算术平均值为49．99mg／kg。是我国A层土壤算术平均值的2．24倍;沉积物中Cu含量分布变异性比Pb含量高。地累积指数的评价结果表明,沉积物中Pb比Cu污染严重。