Ventilation mode changes our safety in buses: Study on “air-rain” flow against chemical and arson attack in public transport vehicles

Objectives: Public transport vehicles (PTVs) play a decisive role in development of the urban economy. However, the safety of PTVs is threatened by the man-released chemical or arson attack. It was found that indoor air safety can be greatly improved by employing air-rain ventilation instead of the common ventilation in a PTV.

Methods: Numerical simulations and experiments have been done to prove the effectiveness of the air-rain flow against chemical attack or arson in PTVs.

Results: The research shows that, during a chemical attack, an air-rain flow of 0.1 m/s can constrain the spread of a chemical agent in a very limited zone near its source, which is far away from the passengers’ breathing area in the PTV. During an arson attack, at an air-rain flow of 0.3 m/s, most of the area in the PTV maintains a low temperature for at least 60?s during a fire, which is long enough for passenger evacuation.

Conclusion: Compared to common ventilation, the key characteristic of air-rain ventilation is its resistance to the blending effect of the air. Because of this, the spread of chemical agents, hot gas/combustion products during a fire, and fuel aerosol is constrained to a limited area in a PTV. Passengers are then protected from chemical attack, explosion of fuel aerosols, and high temperatures and smoke. Thus, we can say that this new ventilation mode increases passenger safety in buses.     

Possible Use of Ash Residues for the Construction of Artificial Reefs at Sea

Utilization of ash residues, including coal ash, oil ash, and municipal solid waste combustion ash, for the construction of artificial reefs at sea has been investigated by many researchers throughout the world for nearly 20 years. Both laboratory and field studies have shown that an artificial reef made of stabillized ash-concrete (SAC) has had no adverse effect on the marine environment. Indeed, published studies have shown that fish counts increase around SAC reefs owing to an abundance of colonizing organisms and to protection provided by cavities within the reef structures. However, public and regulatory resistance to the use of SAC for artificial reef construction at sea is still very strong in certain countries due to concern for possible negative environmental impacts, primarily in the area of bioaccumulation of elements or compounds originating from the ash component of SAC.

In this paper, technological feasibility of using ash residues for artificial reef construction is presented, based on the available 20 years of scientific data, including engineering workability, physical integrity, chemical leaching potential and biological effects. More important, we also identify conceptual barriers for the acceptance of using SAC for the construction of ocean reefs and suggest approaches to overcome these barriers.     

基于环境行为理论的公众一次性塑料减量政策研究

公众行为心理是影响一次性塑料减量政策有效性的关键因素。为针对公众心理制定差异化的政策措施,借鉴环境行为理论的计划行为理论(TPB)和规范激活理论(NAM),构建了一次性塑料减量行为意向模型;基于该模型编制了调查问卷,通过线上、线下相结合的方式,共获得408份有效问卷;采用AMOS软件对结构方程模型进行了分析。结果表明:(微)塑料污染的后果意识对公众一次性塑料减量的意向产生了显著的正向影响,政府应扩大宣传(微)塑料的环境影响,特别是要使公众感受到(微)塑料污染对健康的负面影响;受访者减少使用一次性塑料制品的正面态度对其行为的影响尚不显著,因此针对一次性塑料减量行为的奖惩机制必不可少,以增加公众执行一次性塑料减量行为的动力。     

我国应急公共投入若干问题研究

为进一步提升我国应急公共投入对应急管理工作的保障作用,首先,通过查阅我国应急公共投入在筹集、管理、使用等环节中的数据,发现存在政府间责任不清、财政投入总量偏小、监督评价机制缺位等问题;其次,以习近平总书记关于应急管理的重要论述为指引,探讨构建“政府主导,责任共担,强化监管”的应急公共投入新机制;最后,针对上述问题,根据应急公共投入新机制,提出加强我国应急公共投入保障和管理的具体对策和建议。     

关注室内放射性环境污染 保护公众健康

室内的各种放射性环境污染影响人类健康,本文通过对各种室内放射性环境污染的简要评述,让人们对室内放射性环境污染有科学认识,并提出一些对策。     

SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF WATER DEVELOPMENT1

Decisions to develop water resources systems so far have been primarily taken on the basis of engineering and economic feasibilities. Very rarely, if ever, sociological feasibility has been considered, except in a very broad sense. Planning is for the people, and it should improve the quality of life. Hence, it is argued that water resources decisions ought to be primarily social ones, and that the success or failure of any resource development should not only be judged by its techno-economic excellence but also by its impact on people. Water resources planning process is discussed, and the difficulties associated with the evaluation of sociological feasibility of projects are enumerated. The social consequences of water development projects are traced through planning, construction, operation and management impacts. Finally, it is suggested that the foremost factor in the success of any water management program is the public understanding and acceptance of that program.     

THE ROLE OF CITIZEN ADVISORY GROUPS IN WATER RESOURCES PLANNING1

ABSTRACT: This paper presents the significant conclusions of research conducted over a four-year period, the purpose of which was to analyze the operation of three citizen advisory groups established in conjunction with Level B Studies of the New England River Basins Commission. The three Studies were the Long Island Sound Study, the Southeastern New England Study, and the Supplemental Flood Management Study of the Connecticut River Basin Program. The research examined the criteria and procedures used for selection of members, the relevant personal characteristics of the members, the procedures employed for carrying out their responsibilities, and the relative importance of group functions as perceived by both citizen advisors and professional study participants. The impact of these factors upon the effectiveness of citizen advisory groups as a strategy of public participation is evaluated. The paper includes recommendations, derived from the research, for the use of planning agencies seeking to maximize the effectiveness of citizen advisory groups.     

环境物品的经济价值评估方法:条件价值法

系统地介绍了西方国家常用的１种评价环境物品（公共物品）的方法——条件价值法。在大量文献和作者已有研究的基础上,解释了环境物品的特征和价值含义,综述了条件价值法的概念、特点和总体框架内容,分析了该方法中出现的偏差类型,总结了该方法在国际国内的已有应用,提出其应用潜力和应用前景     

Perceiving Land-Degrading Activities from the Lay Perspective in Northern China

Investigation into local peoples’ perceptions can produce useful information that could be incorporated into the decision-making process to help resolve environmental problems. Within the arena of land degradation, a number of studies have also been conducted to explore local peoples’ views of the problem. However, the perceptions of land-degrading practices of the general public have so far not been actively solicited. This study aimed to contribute to this area of research by adopting the psychometric scaling technique to empirically explore the lay public’s ecological risk perceptions of land-degrading activities in Minqin County in Gansu Province, northern China. The primary data were collected via a questionnaire survey (n = 1,138) administered between 14 and 31 December 2002. The major findings of the survey were: (1) Respondents perceived the ecological risks posed by different land-degrading activities to be different. (2) There was a considerable incongruence in the way in which mining of groundwater was conceived by experts and laymen, respectively. (3) Respondents were pretty unsure of expert knowledge. (4) Respondents’ ecological risk perceptions were significantly affected by their personal attributes. As far as the policy implications of these findings are concerned, this study accentuates that we must be aware of, and involved in, the environmental perceptions of the lay public in order to succeed in guiding any human-environment tensions along more sustainable trajectories and navigating the transition to sustainability.     

The Wild Kangaroo Industry: Developing the Potential for Sustainability

Wildlife resources the world over have long been subject to harvest and management. As wildlife uses have grown, so too have the need and desire to ensure their sustainability. This new context of sustainability presents opportunities to merge ecological, economic and social elements to foster development. This paper presents the management and harvesting of wild kangaroos as an example of the potentially sustainable use of a natural resource. Some comparisons are drawn between the use of other wild living resources, deer in Europe and crayfish in Western Australia. However, sustainability of kangaroo species and the industry is not just a matter of market economics and ecology, it must also be socially sustainable. The public policy instrument of a statutory advisory board with a marketing function is proposed in order to integrate the cultural and social aspects of kangaroo management with the economic and ecological aspects. Through such integration, full sustainability of a wild resource then might be achieved.