Research on challenges and strategies for China’s green economy development

The last 20 years have been the fastest economic developing period of China,and China has made great economic achievements through undertaking international industrial transfer.However,undertaking international industrial transfer has brought about severe environmental problems to China and the process of undertaking international industry transfer is also a process of undertaking international transfer of natural resource consumption and environmental pollution.Nowadays,China has the heaviest ecological burden and highest environmental risk in the world,and is gradually losing international competitive advantages among traditional industries.China is facing unprecedented pressure of economic transformation.Besides the advantages like huge domestic demands and abundant civil capital,China faces more challenges in its green economy development.First,China is still in the middle of industrialization and urbanization processes,hence the huge demands for traditional industries will only last 10-15 more years.Meanwhile,China lacks core technologies for transforming traditional industries,which means these industries will have high shut-down risks.Second,the domestic market share for new green industries is limited,since the market is dominated by traditional energy industries.Third,the value of land,water,mineral,and other natural resources is extremely underestimated because the environmental cost is excluded from the enterprises’cost-benefit calculation.China should foster and expand green industries based on domestic demands,and then strive for competitive advantages in the international market in the future.Therefore,China should focus on the following four points in order to promote green industry development:establishing a forced-upgrading-mechanism for traditional industries,an incentive-development-mechanism for new green industries and a TFP-based(total factor productivity based)economic development evaluation system;promoting the integration of new-type urbanization,new emerging industries,and new employments;taking the model of"technology innovating-patent formulating-standard establishing-market guiding"to enhance the global competitiveness of China’s new emerging industries;and building green consumption patterns in the whole society.     

WATER TRANSFERS AND THEIR IMPACTS: LESSONS FROM THREE COLORADO WATER MARKETS1

ABSTRACT: This paper presents an analysis of the effects of different institutional arrangements and economic environments on water markets. Characteristics of water rights transfers in the South Platte Basin of Colorado and transfers of shares of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD) are compared to show how different institutional arrangements can affect the types and size distributions of transfers. The characteristics of water rights transfers in the prosperous South Platte are then compared with water rights transfer characteristics in the economically marginal Arkansas River basin of Colorado to identify the effects of different economic environments. Finally, the economic losses from reductions in irrigated acreage resulting from water transfers are estimated for the South Platte and Arkansas and compared with purchase prices by municipalities. Transfers in the South Platte were to new uses in the same basin, while more recent transfers in the Arkansas were to out of basin users. Transfers of South Platte rights and especially NCWCD shares were small and continuous over time, while transfers in the Arkansas were dominated by a few very large transfers. The negative impacts are judged to be more severe in the Arkansas basin than in the South Platte. Purchase prices paid by municipalities substantially exceeded capitalized transitional losses in the selling areas. In the South Platte, gains and losses were in the same basin, while the Arkansas absorbed the losses, with the benefits going to the purchasing basin.     

Limb Deformities as an Emerging Parasitic Disease in Amphibians: Evidence from Museum Specimens and Resurvey Data

Abstract:   Widespread reports of malformed amphibians are of growing conservation concern. Although accounts of mass malformations (>5%) in North American amphibian populations date back to the 1940s, they are often poorly documented and are rarely explained. We reviewed available information for nine historical accounts from California, Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, and Texas reported between 1946 and 1988. We then asked the following questions: (1) Which of these cases were associated with Ribeiroia (Trematoda: Digenea) infection? (2) Are malformations still occurring at these sites? And (3) if so, have the frequency or types of abnormalities changed? Each site was resurveyed between 1999 and 2002, and original voucher specimens were redescribed and examined for trematode infection. Direct identification and classification by discriminant function analysis indicated that historical malformations at six of eight sites were associated with infection by Ribeiroia , dating back as far as 1946. Malformations recorded historically at these sites were consistent with the documented effects of Ribeiroia infection, including extra limbs, cutaneous fusion, and bony triangles. Of the six sites that still supported amphibians upon resurvey, three continued to support severe limb malformations at frequencies of 7–50% in one or more species. Although no pesticides were detected, amphibians from each of these sites were infected with Ribeiroia metacercariae. Taken together, these results suggest that Ribeiroia infection has historically been an important cause of mass malformations in amphibians. We conclude that although parasite-induced malformations are not a new phenomenon, there is qualitative evidence suggesting that their prevalence has increased recently, and we highlight the need for long-term research to evaluate the impacts of malformations on amphibian population viability.     

Building Institutions for Markets: Experiences and Lessons from China's Rural Forest Sector

Through the lens of institutional economics, this paper reviews the reform and development experience in China's rural forest sector and discusses lessons that can be learned by China and other countries. We find that the impacts of the reforms, characterized by changes in forest tenures and market settings, hinge on how they are implemented. If farmers are granted not only land use rights but also liberalized market access, as shown in the northern farm region and the production of non-timber forest products, the incentive structure will be improved, and thus forest production will grow and producers and consumers will benefit. If the reforms are implemented in such a way as to cause market control and distortions, as witnessed in the southern traditional timber production region, the incentive structure will improve little. The chances for production increase will thus be diminished, making it difficult for producers and consumers to enhance their welfare. While tenure arrangements have evolved across the country in the 1990s, timber production in the south remains subject to allowable quota, cutting permit, government procurement, and heavy taxation. We wonder what the land use and tree ownership rights mean without the right to access market freely and fairly, and how practical it is to substitute government efforts for private initiatives in a successful forestry program. The time has come for Chinese policymakers to address these problems.     

Preliminary studies on occurrence of monensin antibiotic in Bosque River Watershed

Water quality impact due to excessive nutrients has been extensively studied. In recent years, however, micro-pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and hormonal products used in animal agriculture have added an additional impact to overall water quality. Pharmaceuticals used in the poultry, swine, beef, and dairy industries have been detected in various environmental matrices such as, soil, groundwater and surface water. In this study, 26 surface water samples were collected throughout the Bosque River Watershed (BRW) with samples representing a range of land use conditions and locations of major dairy operations. Samples were analyzed using commercially available Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay test. Of the 26 samples, three samples consistently tested positive for monensin antibiotic with concentration ranging from 0.30 to 3.41 μg/L. These three samples were collected from sites that received varying amount of agriculture wastes (11.7% to 31.3%) and located downstream from sites associated with moderate levels of animal agriculture. The preliminary results suggest that there is a potential for monensin occurrence in the BRW, although initial findings indicate only very low levels.     

Mapping Hotspots of Threatened Species Traded in Bushmeat Markets in the Cross–Sanaga Rivers Region

Bushmeat markets exist in many countries in West and Central Africa, and data on species sold can be used to detect patterns of wildlife trade in a region. We surveyed 89 markets within the Cross–Sanaga rivers region, West Africa. In each market, we counted the number of carcasses of each taxon sold. During a 6‐month period (7594 market days), 44 mammal species were traded. Thirteen species were on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List or protected under national legislation, and at least 1 threatened species was traded in 88 of the 89 markets. We used these data to identify market groups that traded similar species assemblages. Using cluster analyses, we detected 8 market groups that were also geographically distinct. Market groups differed in the diversity of species, evenness of species, and dominant, prevalent, and characteristic species traded. We mapped the distribution of number of threatened species traded across the study region. Most threatened species were sold in markets nearest 2 national parks, Korup National Park in Cameroon and Cross River in Nigeria. To assess whether the threatened‐species trade hotspots coincided with the known ranges of these species, we mapped the overlap of all threatened species traded. Markets selling more threatened species overlapped with those regions that had higher numbers of these. Our study can provide wildlife managers in the region with better tools to discern zones within which to focus policing efforts and reduce threats to species that are threatened by the bushmeat trade. Mapeo de Sitios Críticos para Especies Amenazadas Comercializadas en Mercados de Vida Silvestre en la Región de los Ríos Cross‐Sanaga     

我国新兴污染物环境风险评价与控制研究进展

目前环境化学研究热点逐渐从传统污染物转向新兴污染物,如持久性有机污染物(POPs)、环境内分泌干扰物(EDCs)、药品和个人护理品(PPCPs)等.环境中痕量新兴污染物往往会造成较高的危害和风险,日益引起广泛关注.应对新兴污染物环境问题,首先要了解其环境风险,然后进行风险控制和防范.我国新兴污染物的研究正在逐渐兴起.近年来,研究人员在我国新兴污染物环境风险评价和控制方面积极开展工作,本文综述我国这方面的研究进展,以期为进一步开展其风险防范研究提供参考.     

极性有机化合物整合采样技术在水环境有机污染物监测中的应用

极性有机化合物整合采样技术(Polar organic chemical integrative samplers,POCIS)适用于极性有机污染物的采集,随着新型极性有机污染物的不断出现,该技术已经引起了科学家的广泛关注.本文概述了几种常用的被动采样装置,重点介绍了POCIS采样器的一般结构、富集原理、环境因素如流速、温度、pH、溶解性有机质、盐度及膜的污染等对采样速率的影响,讨论了针对极性物质检测的质量控制和保证以及性能参考物质,综述了POCIS在水环境有机污染物监测中的应用.最后,本文对POCIS的应用前景进行了展望.     

World tropical wood trade : Economic overview

Tropical wood is attracting global attention in the light of dwindling sources of industrial raw material supplies, increasing concern for conservation and growing requirements for huge investments. This study examines the changing character of the world hardwood trade, and the factors that will affect future supply, demand and price. It also considers the likely implications of recent large-scale attempts to grow tropical species for pulp, developments in microtechnology and biotechnology on wood, and the proposed international commodity agreement for tropical timber. The study emphasizes the need for huge investments on a global scale in afforestation and research to fully realize the potential of the tropical biomass.     

Cities vs. agriculture: A review of intersectoral water re-allocation

Water demand management, or making better use of the water we have — as opposed to augmenting supply — is increasingly proposed as a way of mitigating water-scarcity problems. Moving water away from agriculture to uses with higher economic value is one of the main measures widely seen as desirable. Sectoral "allocation stress" is seen as resulting from the disproportionate share, and inefficient use of water in the agricultural sector. This apparent misallocation is often attributed to the failure of government to allocate water rationally.
This paper revisits this commonly-accepted wisdom and examines the nature of urban water scarcity, showing the importance of economic and political factors, shaped by incentives to decision-makers, and sometimes compounded by climatic conditions. It shows that cities' growth is not generally constrained by competition with agriculture. In general, rather than using a narrow financial criterion, cities select options that go along the "path of least resistance," whereby economic, social and political costs are considered in conjunction. The question of allocation stress is thus reframed into an inquiry of how transfers effectively occur and can be made more effective.