Sustainable Development and Strategic Thinking

From an economic point of view, the industrial economy is efficient to overcome situations of a scarcity of goods. From a technological point of view, the resource efficiency of the manufacturing processes of the industrial economy has been permanently improved during the last 200 years. In addition, cleaner processes have been developed. However, from an ecologic point of view, an increasing world population with increasing consumption has produced a ＂global footprint＂ which approaches the carrying capacity of the planet. A circular economy and its high-value spin-offs-a lake economy and a performance or functional service economy-can fulfil customers＇ needs with considerably less resource consumption, less environmental impairment in production and considerably less end-of-life product waste, especially in situations of affluence, when a considerable stock of physical goods and infrastructures exists. Also, in situations of a scarcity of natural resources, both energy and materials, often characterised by rapidly rising resource prices, the economic actors of a circular economy have a high competitive advantage over the actors of the industrial economy, due to much lower procurement costs for materials and energy. From a social point of view, a circular economy increases the number of skilled jobs in regional enterprises. However, the shift from a linear manufacturing economy to a circular or service economy means a change in economic thinking from flow （throughput） management to stock （asset） management： in a manufacturing economy with largely unsaturated markets, total wealth increases through accumulation as resource throughput （flow） is transformed into a higher stock of goods of better quality （but in a manufacturing economy with largely saturated markets, wealth represented by the stock of goods will no longer increase）; in a circular or service economy, total wealth increases through a smart management of existing physical assets （stock） that are adapted to changes in both technology and customer demand. This second approach not only applies to physical capital but equally to social capital, such as health and education and green GDP. To measure the social wealth of a population, it is not the amount of money spent on schools and hospitals that matters, butif this expenditure has led to a better education of the students, and a better health of the people.     

全国安全生产宣传工作会议:张宝明局长谈今年工作总体思路

3月底全国安全生产宣传工作会议在北京西郊宾馆举行。这是国家安全生产监督管理体制改革以来,召开的第一次安全生产宣传工作会议。国家     

以市场机制来配置城市"办节"资源

“文化搭台、经济唱戏”,办好城市重要节庆活动,已经成为城市招商引资和促进城市经济发展的一大重要举措。但是,如何改变过去城市政府以行政指令来配置节庆资源和安排节日活动,真正采用市场机制来配置办节资源,以较低的办节成本获得较高的办节效应,实现社会效益与经济效益的“双赢”,是值得政府深入研究和认真解决的重要课题。     

战略环评,方兴未艾

按照国家“西电东送”规划,今后几年,云贵两省交界的狭长地带要新建十余座火电厂。而国内二氧化硫污染较重的城市安顺、都匀,恰好就在那里。很多人担忧,如此大规模地集中新建火电厂会不会给当地脆弱的生态环境雪上加霜。显然,针对单个电厂做的建设项目环境影响评价,很难从总体上把握建造十余座电厂对这一地区的环境将产生怎样的影响。为此,专家们为“西电东送”所作的环境影响评价,不是针对单个电厂,而是面向整个规划。国际上把这种对政策、规划进行的环境影响评价称为“战略环境影响评价”,简称“战略环评”。     

未来五年我国最大的国有林区将大幅调减采伐限额

根据自然资源承载能力，国家计划在“十一五”期间将我国最大的国有林区黑龙江森工林区采伐限额大幅调减，从“十五”期间的每年419万m^3调减到175万m^3。