Solid Waste Treatment as a High-Priority and Low- Cost Alternative for Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

The increased concern about environmental problems caused by inadequate waste management, as well as the concern about global warming, promotes actions toward a sustainable management of the organic fraction of the waste. Landfills, the most common means to dispose of municipal solid waste (MSW), lead to the conversion of the organic waste to biogas, containing about 50% methane, a very active greenhouse gas (GHG). One unit of methane has a global warming potential of 21 computed for a 100-year horizon or 56 computed for 20 years. The waste sector in Israel contributes 13% of total greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions for a time horizon of 100 years (for a time horizon of 20 years, the waste sector contribution equals to more than 25% of total GHG emissions). The ultimate goal is to minimize the amount of methane (CH₄) by converting it to CO₂. This can be achieved by physicochemical means (e.g., landfill gas flare, incineration) or by biological processes (e.g., composting, anaerobic digestion). Since the waste in Israel has a high organic material content, it was found that the most cost-effective means to treat the degradable organic components is by aerobic composting (investment of less than US$ 10 to reduce emission of one ton CO₂ equivalent per year). Another benefit of this technology is the ability to implement it within a short period. The suggested approach, which should be implemented especially in developing countries, could reduce a significant amount of GHG at relatively low cost and short time. The development of a national policy for proper waste treatment can be a significant means to abate GHG emissions in the short term, enabling a gain in time to develop other means for the long run. In addition, the use of CO₂ quotas will credit the waste sector and will promote profitable proper waste management.     

LAKE MICHIGAN DIVERSION - STREAM QUALITY PLANNING1

ABSTRACT: By United States Supreme Court action, the diversion of water from Lake Michigan and the Lake Michigan Drainage Basin in the Metropolitan Chicago Area is regulated at an annual maximum rate of 3,200 cfs. Approximately 1,700 cfs of this diversion is used for water supply, and the remaining 1,500 cfs consists primarily of stormwater runoff with lesser amounts of direct lake diversion, such as lockage and leakage, navigational makeup water flows, and discretionary diversion needed to maintain water quality standards in the Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago's basic waterways. In order to assess the schedule of its discretionary diversion needs, the District, using a computer model of its basic waterway system, has calculated the minimum discretionary diversion requirements for projected water quality conditions as successive elements of the District's water pollution control program are completed. The results of these analyses can be used as a basis for developing plans for future allocations of the limited supply of Lake Michigan water to other uses such as domestic water supply, when and if such supplies become available.     

WILD RIVERS - METHODS FOR EVALUATION1

ABSTRACT: Two analytical methods are presented and demonstrated for evaluating the monetary and nonmonetary benefits of wild rivers. In the traditional benefit-cost context special techniques are required to show that any wild river is worthy of preservation. The methods presented allow for the possibility of low development levels in river basins to be optimal, although advanced development can also be shown to be most efficient in some circumstances. That is, the methods are not directed to the wild condition only but to the entire spectrum of development possibilities. The applications of the methods to two adjacent subbasins in the State of Washington each showed that the currently undeveloped basin should be left in its wild condition, while the partially developed basin next door should be developed even more fully.     

ENERGY LOSS AND REPLACEMENT COST OF NAVIGATION OF THE SNAKE-COLUMBIA RIVERS1

ABSTRACT: A competitive relationship exists between power production and navigation in the allocation of water resources along the Snake-Columbia River Complex. This report identifies the energy losses within the power system and the replacement costs of water diversion which resulted from commercial and recreational navigation of the Complex over the period 1975–1977.     

自然资本,科技进步与经济的可持续增长

自然资本存量保持基本恒定,被国际学术界认为是维持经济可持续增长、实现可持续发展的基础。本文尝试性地将自然资本引入反映投入产出关系的生产函数,探讨了科技进步、自然资本消耗与经济增长之间的关系,并指出了发展进程中应遵循的原则。     

提高城市污水处理工程项目控制水平

本文根据城市污水处理工程的特点,提出从设计、施工、调试三个方面对项目的费用、进度和质量进行控制的方法和建议。     

人的生命价值评估方法述评

评估生命价值最常用的两种方法是人力资本法和支付意愿法。用人力资本法评估生命价值的前提是人的生命可以用一个人未来的生产能力来计量,而用支付意愿法评估生命价值的前提是人的生命可以用一个人为降低死亡风险而愿意支付的货币金额来计量。支付意愿法又包括工资—风险法、消费市场法和条件价值法3种类型。工资—风险法通过分析一个人的工资与其工作风险之间的关系来估算生命价值;消费市场法关注的是人们在其进行消费决策时,在风险与价格之间的权衡;而条件价值法则是给定一个假定情景,请被访者对货币和风险进行直接权衡来估算生命价值。笔者对国内外生命价值评估研究进行述评,指出了各种评估方法的优缺点。支付意愿法已成为国外学者评估生命价值的主流方法,学习借鉴国外的研究经验,将这一方法运用于我国的生命价值评估研究是今后国内研究的一个方向。     

RECREATION AT THE MC CLELLAN-KERR ARKANSAS RIVER NAVIGATION SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: Recreation has produced substantial employment, incomes, economic development, and migration impacts since completion of the McCle-lan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. These impacts support the influence of navigation, hydropower, flood control, and channel stabilization outputs on regional development. The marked success is not without substantial costs in public resources, including manpower which are devoted to recreational management. Increasing the share of financial resources obtained from recreational users and transfer of management responsibilities to nonfederal agencies, including private concessionaires is recommended.     

中国三类自然资本的关键性检验与分析:1949-2007年

论文围绕关键自然资本的测算、"关键性"假设检验及案例展开,研究指出:随着观察期的延长,中国境内自然资本与物质资本的互补性不断下降,从20 a来看,淡水、化石能源及生产性土地具有物质资本无法替代的影响效力;中长期回归式中关键自然资本的回归系数为负数,由于生产性足迹描述关键自然资本开采情况,故而当下我国关键自然资本开采水平对可持续发展较不利。以此为据,估算南水北调工程引发相关区域淡水变动对当地可持续发展的影响,结果显示:受水区福利的增加对应着水源区福利的下降,南水北调东、中线工程缓和了受水区关键自然资本不可持续开采的压力,增加了水源区承担的关键自然资本不可持续式开采负外部性。     

Cost‐Effective Placement of Best Management Practices in a Watershed: Lessons Learned from Conservation Effects Assessment Project

This article reviews the key, cross‐cutting findings concerning watershed‐scale cost‐effective placement of best management practices (BMPs) emerging from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) competitive grants watershed studies. The synthesis focuses on two fundamental aspects of the cost‐effectiveness problem: (1) how to assess the location‐ and farmer‐specific costs of BMP implementation, and (2) how to decide on which BMPs need to be implemented and where within a given watershed. Major lessons learned are that (1) data availability remains a significant limiting factor in capturing within‐watershed BMP cost variability; (2) strong watershed community connections help overcome the cost estimation challenges; (3) detailing cost components facilitates the transferability of estimates to alternative locations and/or economic conditions; and (4) implicit costs vary significantly across space and farmers. Furthermore, CEAP studies showed that (5) evolutionary algorithms provide workable ways to identify cost‐effective BMP placements; (6) tradeoffs between total conservation costs and watershed‐scale cost‐effective water quality improvements are commonly large; (7) quality baseline information is essential to solving cost‐effectiveness problem; and (8) systemic and modeling uncertainties alter cost‐effective BMP placements considerably.