Alaska’s Freshwater Resources: Issues Affecting Local and International Interests1

Alessa, Lilian, Mark Altaweel, Andrew Kliskey, Christopher Bone, William Schnabel, and Kalb Stevenson, 2011. Alaska’s Freshwater Resources: Issues Affecting Local and International Interests. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 47(1):143‐157. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2010.00498.x Abstract: The State of Alaska faces a broad range of freshwater challenges including limited resource access in rural communities, increasing freshwater use, and a pressing need to better understand and prepare for climate‐driven change. Despite these significant issues, Alaska is relatively water‐rich and far more equipped to address its water resource concerns compared with other regions of the world. Globally, simultaneous and rapid water stresses have influenced and complicated conflicts and are motivating nations to develop markets and trade as one of the primary means to manage their needs for this resource. This paper presents these interacting issues in the context of Alaska’s relationship with a world undergoing significant social and ecological changes that affect freshwater supplies. We present the challenges faced by Alaska in the context of a larger global perspective, and briefly explore the relative effects these issues have on local, regional, and global scales. We present the argument that Alaska needs to develop more robust institutions and policies that can alleviate both household concerns and ensure that Alaska plays a significant role in the international freshwater arena for its long‐term resilience.     

A ton is not always a ton: A road-test of landfill,manure, and afforestation/reforestation offset protocols in the U.S. carbon market

The outcome of recent international climate negotiations suggests we are headed toward a more fragmented carbon market, with multiple emission trading and offset programs operating in parallel. To effectively harmonize and link across programs, it will be important to ensure that across offset programs and protocols that a “ton is a ton”. In this article, we consider how sample offsets projects in the U.S. carbon market are treated across protocols from five programs: the Clean Development Mechanism, Climate Action Reserve, Chicago Climate Exchange, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, and the U.S. EPA's former program, Climate Leaders. We find that differences among protocols for landfill methane, manure management, and afforestation/reforestation project types in accounting boundary definitions, baseline setting methods, measurement rules, emission factors, and discounts lead to differences in offsets credited that are often significant (e.g. greater than 50%). We suggest opportunities for modification and harmonization of protocols that can improve offset quality and credibility and enhance prospects for future linking of trading units and systems.     

Futures markets and economic efficiency: A theoretical perspective

This article examines the role of futures markets in schieving economic efficiency. The question is introduced in a timeless, certain framework, and extended to the case where time, but not uncertainty, becomes important: it is shown that in such a framework futures markets ensure economic efficiency. Uncertainty is then introduced, and it is shown that contingent markets ensure full efficiency, but that these are cumbersome; it is also shown that futures markets, as an alternative, ensure approximate efficiency. An appendix explores more formally the relation between markets and efficiency.     

经济发达地区土地资源可持续利用方式诊断——以江阴市为例

本文以江苏省江阴市为例 ,采用定性分析与定量诊断相结合的方法 ,研究了经济发达地区土地资源可持续利用水平、动态变化以及障碍因素。研究表明 :江阴市土地资源利用已进入基本可持续状态 ,但也出现了生态环境恶化、建设用地比重增大、耕地面积下降等问题。针对诊断结果 ,提出了促进土地资源可持续利用的几项对策     

乌拉盖综合经济开发区土地垦殖状况调查

1993年2月,乌拉盖综合开发区建立。2000年后引起国内多家媒体和生态学人士等的多方关注,新闻媒体说：＂开发区面积5013平方公里,大约相当于10个上海市的面积,是全国面积最大的开发区,开发10多年后不仅难见经济效益,而且造成草原生态破坏,开发面积大得吓人、经济总量小得可怜、生态安全遭遇挑战＂。2008年自治区生态环境监测站对此事进行了调查。调查结果显示：5013平方公里是乌拉盖综合经济开发区行政区面积,实际开发面积没有那么大。草原生态破坏程度比较严重。     

美、日土壤污染防治法律度对中国土壤立法的启示

目前中国土壤污染问题日趋严重。尽管中国现行的法律体系存在一些有关土壤污染防治的规定,但仍存在一定的局限性,中国目前还没有专门的《土污染防治法》,从而不能为中国土壤污染的防治工作提供有力地法律支撑和法律保障。本文在分析美国、日本有关土壤污染防治立法的基础上,就中国土壤污染防治立法提出了几点建议。     

Forecasting precious metal price movements using trader positions

In the early 2000s, the precious metal markets entered into a new phase where a steady rise of prices had been observed until the October 2008 crash. Given the size and importance of precious metal market, as well as the hedging capacity of precious metals due to their low correlation with equity markets (Draper et al., 2006), the question we want to arise is whether trader positions predict the direction of gold, platinum, and silver spot price movements. The forecasting content of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Commitment of Traders report for platinum, silver and gold prices using trader positions is investigated in a VAR framework. Granger causality tests are conducted to determine whether a relation between trader positions and market prices exists. An examination of the extreme trader positions on price movements is also conducted. The results indicate that market return is a significant parameter in explaining trader’s positions for all trader types in each of the precious metal markets under consideration after the beginning of 2000s where we detect a structural break for each of the market under study. Commercial traders are found to be negative feedback traders, that is, they sell when the prices increase in the market. On the other hand, in line with the previous literature, a positive correlation between returns and positions held by non-commercial and non-reporting traders is found. However, trader’s net positions do not lead market returns in general. There is some evidence on the forecasting ability of extreme trader positions on market returns.     

以他国为例兼论数据促进我国环境部门资源整合与开发

文章介绍并论述了欧美及俄罗斯、日本等国家环境及其相关部门的职责及其工作。其部分工作体现了其综合性、前端性、支撑性、服务性。国情不同,相关事务自然不能一概而论。但他国以环境为资源,用数据科学的思想、方法对环境资源进行统筹、分析、挖掘,其实践思路和实践也许有借鉴的可能。并指出,我国在借鉴之中,或可加强政府部门之间、社会盈利与非盈利组织之间、政府部门与社会组织之间、以及个人之间的合作,通过数据公开、数据共享,从而降低成本,进行数据挖掘、利用,协力解决环境与人和谐共生问题,同时激发新的经济增长点。真正体现数据来源于自然、来源于人;同时形成数据资源这一新资源,保护并服务于自然与人。     

Why are Prices in Wild Catch and Aquaculture Industries so Different?

Through a comparative analysis of prices in capture fisheries and aquaculture sectors, the objectives of this paper are a) to investigate three the trends in prices of forage catches to feed the aquaculture species, b) to analyze the amount of fish species need to feed aquaculture species in order to assess the level of efficiency in resource use, and c) to examine the degree of economic concentration either in wild-catch industry and aquaculture sectors. The results show that prices of cultivated species are higher than prices of the same species when harvested from the sea. We explain this fact by the interplay of three forces. First, the amount of wild fish to feed aquaculture species continues to improve over time. Second, the pressure of fishing activities has not been reduced since catches of most forage fishes are declining, which induce higher prices of capture species that feed aquaculture production. Third, the level of seafood market concentration is significantly higher in aquaculture than in wild catches, which generates higher prices in aquaculture.     

经济发达城市全面建成小康社会环境目标指标研究——以深圳市为例

从深圳新形势下率先全面建成更高水平的小康社会的发展和公众需求分析入手,分析当前全面建成小康社会的环境进程和构建全面小康环境目标指标体系的必要性.基于全过程、全覆盖、惠民性和衔接性考虑,提出应尊重深圳当前所处社会经济与环境阶段,遵守全过程防控思路,以人口、区域全覆盖和环境要素全面改善为工作核心,建立全社会行动体系,确立更严标准、更高质量的全面建成小康环境目标,构建包含源头防控、治污减排、质量提升、社会参与的全面建成小康社会环境指标体系.