Smart Growth and Sustainable Development: Challenges,solutions and policy directions

In this paper, we focus on the issues related to development densities that emerged from our study of sprawl and development issues in three regions of British Columbia, Canada. We chose to focus on this aspect of the Smart Growth agenda because, while many of its other elements enjoy wide support across social interests, the goal of achieving a higher density urban fabric is highly controversial. We proceeded by collecting data on development densities and 13 indicators of community sustainability in 26 municipalities. The results suggest that the density of communities is associated with efficiencies in infrastructure and with reduced automobile dependence, with the ecological and economic implications which flow from that. However, it does not necessarily correlate with greater affordability of housing or more access to green space. In fact, if anything, we discovered a negative relationship between housing affordability and green space per capita and higher land-use densities. In a second stage of the research, we conducted a qualitative analysis of a subset of six municipalities and identified key policy issues for moving ahead with the Smart Growth agenda. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy issues that emerged from these case studies.     

环境保护项目费用效益评价方法

从费用—效益分析原理出发,结合微观经济理论及环保项目特点,通过分析与归纳建立环保项目费用效益量化评价模型,落实费用效益分析法在环保项目经济评价中的具体应用,达到得以对环保项目作出经济分析评价的目的。     

废显像管玻璃循环经济模式系统分析研究

近年来,我国CRT显像管制造行业迅速发展,但制造显像管所需的大量优质矿石和化工原料的开采和合成过程却破坏了自然生态环境,还造成环境污染.同时,大量被淘汰和不合格的显像管被简单处理,造成巨大的优质资源浪费.采用系统分析的方法,对废显像管玻璃再利用进行环境分析,从而找出适合我国的废显像管玻璃循环经济模式,并使用模糊综合评价对废显像管玻璃循环经济效益的综合评价方式进行了探讨.     

从清洁生产到循环经济

清洁生产和循环经济是20世纪90年代以来在我国引人注目的两项实践。正确认识、积极推进清洁生产和循环经济,对于转变我国经济增长方式与发展模式、促进可持续发展具有重要意义。在将资源环境要素纳入经济系统内部,转变经济增长方式,促进资源环境和经济结合一体化发展模式的概念意义下,本文从宏观历史层面阐述了我国清洁生产和循环经济的发展过程、必然趋势及其长期曲折、交错推进的过程特征。分析了以废物循环作为循环经济的认识和实践误区,提出了以清洁生产为基础推进产业生态化,结合强化末端管制,以及围绕建立“绿色”市场进行制度创新为基本内容的发展我国循环经济的建议。     

中国收入差距与环境质量关系的实证检验--基于对环境库兹涅茨曲线的扩展

在对环境库兹涅茨曲线（EKC）假说扩展的基础上,分析和验证了收入差距与环境质量之间的关系。应用联合国统计司公布的中国1986—2002年度二氧化碳排放总量数据,通过计量模型论证收入差距与环境质量之间的假设。结果发现,收入差距扩大会刺激二氧化碳排放,收入差距越大这种影响的效果就会越恶劣。而且收入差距因素还会通过作用于经济增长,促使经济增长对环境的污染程度加强。延迟转折点的到来。因此,我国目前在促进经济增长的同时,要以提高社会整体福利为目的,缩小居民收入差距,这将有利于环境质量的改善和提高。     

山东省水环境污染的经济损失研究

通过对区域水污染经济损失核算方法的研究，采用恢复费用法估算山东省1997—1999年的水污染损失。山东省年均水污染损失占GDP的0．38％；其中淮河流域的年均污染损失最大。占总损失量的66．82％；单位水量的污染损失以海河流域最大，为0．43元／m^3；淮河、海河流域由于水污染，工农业增加的水处理成本占其工农业总产值的比例分别为0．43％和1．34％。结果表明，山东省由于水污染造成的经济损失已经影响到了山东省的经济发展。     

A Conceptual Analysis of the Application of Tradable Permits to Biodiversity Conservation

Abstract: Tradable permits have been applied in many areas of environmental policy and may be a response to increasing calls for flexible conservation instruments that successfully conserve biodiversity while allowing for economic development. The idea behind applying tradable permits to conservation is that developers wishing to turn land to economic purposes, thereby destroying valuable habitat, may only do so if they submit a permit to the conservation agency showing that habitat of at least the equivalent ecological value is restored elsewhere. The developer himself does not need to carry out the restoration, but may buy a permit from a third party, thus allowing a market to emerge. Nevertheless, the application of tradable permits to biodiversity conservation is a complex issue because destroyed and restored habitats are likely to differ. There may be various trade‐offs between the ecological requirements that destroyed and restored habitats be as similar as possible, and the need for a certain level of market activity to have a functioning trading system. The success of tradable permits as an instrument for reconciling the conflicts between economic development and conservation depends on the existence of certain economic, institutional, and ecological preconditions, for example, a functioning institutional framework, sufficient expert knowledge, and adequate monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.     

Basic Environmental Requirements for EU Accession: An Impact Study on Hungary

It can be stated in general that (with the exception of agriculture) the Hungarian economy, because of its outdated technologies, is a bigger threat to the environment than countries of Western Europe. However, as the volume of economic output, per capita consumption and the number of motor vehicles is considerably lower than those in more advanced industrial nations, by most indicators low per capita figures put Hungary in a better position. Still, we must remember that the EU's environmental policy puts heavy emphasis on the efficient utilization of resources and environmental efficiency, calculated against pollution generated in the course of creating units of national wealth and the amount of energy and natural resources required to it. By these standards, Hungary lags far behind the West European model.The problem is compounded by the fact that, while nations of Western Europe had created environmental infrastructure (i.e., wastewater disposal and treatment, waste management) in an earlier phase of their economic development, Hungary is only now embarking on a similar project. Indeed, the existing gap between utility services of drinking water and sewage disposal and treatment, and large amounts of untreated and illegally dumped waste lead to serious environmental damage. Although the state of the country's natural environment is considered satisfactory, factors outlined above indicate there are many responsibilities ahead of us if we are to meet western environmental standards.     

Economic and other implications of integrated chain management: a case study

In this article, the concept of Integrated (Substance) Chain Management (ISCM) is discussed. The definition of ISCM, motives for ISCM, conditions for implementation, different points of view and a five-step model are dealt with. In addition, a number of possible barriers on the road to ISCM are discussed. The model is applied to a stonewool-producing company in the Netherlands. This company set up a recycling project in the form of a briquetting factory. The substance-flow sheets show that after implementing the briquetting factory, almost all process wastes are used in the factory and that fewer virgin materials have to be used. From an economic point of view, production in a more sustainable fashion is very unattractive: production costs per ton of stonewool product rose as a consequence of the use of the briquettes as an input. The barriers connected to ISCM are mainly economic and regulatory. Solutions for the Rockwool company may include engaging in environmental product stewardship and a realignment of the government policy towards dumping re-usable and non-separated building and construction waste.     

经济体制改革对环境保护的影响及其政策调整

本文研究了我国由计划经济体制向市场经济体制转变过程中对环境保护产生的积极作用及其面临的问题，探索了适应社会主义市场经济体制实现环境与经济可持续发展的政策措施。