Interdependence with the environment: Commitment,interconnectedness, and environmental behavior

Do individuals’ perceptions of their interdependence with the natural environment affect their environmental behaviors? From the perspective of interdependence theory, we introduce a scale to measure commitment to the natural environment. In Study 1, higher levels of commitment to the environment and greater inclusion of nature in the self separately predicted higher levels of pro-environmental behavior, even when controlling for social desirability and ecological worldview. In Study 2, participants primed to experience high commitment to the environment reported greater levels of pro-environmental behavioral intentions as well as pro-environmental behavior relative to participants primed to experience low commitment to the environment. Commitment to the natural environment is a new theoretical construct that predicts environmental behavior.     

Rural Households’ Attitude and Economic Strategies Toward the Conversion of Cropland to Forest and Grassland Program (CCFG): A Case Study in Qira,China

The Conversion of Cropland to Forest and Grassland Program (CCFG), which was initiated by the Chinese government in 1999, is a cropland retirement program with integrated objectives for ecological preservation and local development. The purpose of this article was to study the influencing factors of attitude and economic strategies in rural households toward the CCFG. Rural households’ knowledge, attitude and economic strategies toward the CCFG were investigated through a questionnaire survey in Qira, China. Influencing factors of attitude and strategies of households were analyzed using a logit model technique. The analysis indicated that household’s income level, environmental knowledge of the program, and program implementation were significant influencing factors in a household’s attitude toward the CCFG, while major influencing factors of household strategies were their regional background and availability of income generation sources. Meaningful association was not found between attitude and strategy choices. Rich households had more strategy choices, while poor households were usually confined to low input strategies with uncertain income. To sustain their livelihood, the poor need extra assistances in marketing, loan granting, employment training, information, and technical services.     

Livelihood change and livelihood sustainability in the uplands of Lembang subwatershed, West Sumatra, Indonesia, in a changing natural resource management context

This paper analyzes livelihood change and livelihood sustainability of households in the upland part of the Lembang subwatershed, West Sumatra, in response to changes in the natural resource management context during the last decade. Using the sustainable livelihood framework (SLF), we measured livelihood changes at two separate points in time, 1996 and 2006, and assessed their environmental, economic, social, and institutional sustainability. We found that people with a low income had less access to capital assets than people from middle- and high-income groups. Our analysis revealed, however, that access to capital assets increased over time, and that poor households experienced economic improvement, indicating an overall increase in economic sustainability. Environmental sustainability, however, is threatened by intensive agricultural practices such as high agrochemical input and intensive soil tillage on steep slopes, leading to pollution and soil erosion. Social sustainability is also a matter of concern: while social exclusion has been reduced, income inequity has increased. Institutional sustainability is likely to remain uncertain, as local institutions for natural resource management are still weak, despite the fact that decentralization has been implemented during the last 8 years. External facilitation is needed to improve the livelihood of upland people while, at the same time, enhancing the sustainability of watershed management. Strengthening local institutions, conserving natural resources, and promoting environmentally sound agricultural practices are the three most important policies to be promoted within the watershed.     

湖南古村落的物质安全防御研究

基于湖南现存的一些古村落,从物质安全防御角度出发,对古村落在基地选址、整体布局、空间形态等方面所采用的安全防御进行研究。通过分析湖南当地居民的主要物质防御手段即利用山水作为村落的自然屏障、团结所有村民进行集群防御与在村落内部层层设防等方法,指出湖南古村落物质防御的有效性和科学性对当今社会安居工程建设具有借鉴意义。     

基于巡检的高速公路桥梁安全监测与维护研究

针对高速公路桥梁安全评价与维护的需要,在对现行高速公路桥梁安全监测、数据处理方法分析的基础上,应用设备状态监测原理,提出高速公路桥梁安全监测及安全趋势预测的方法。根据我国目前公路桥梁养护技术规范、高速公路桥梁养护运行模式,构建由人、物、理、程四部分组成的基于巡检的高速公路桥梁安全监测与维护体系,该体系实施过程分为准备、巡检、分析和维护4个阶段,即,在不影响高速公路桥梁正常运营下,通过巡检获取桥梁关键部位的状态参数并进行分析和评价桥梁状态,由专家系统或专家评价桥梁病害类型和维护方案。该体系还可对桥梁安全状态进行预判,满足高速公路桥梁预防性养护的需求,其实施将有助于提高高速公路桥梁的管理与维护水平。     

宋至清荆江南岸分流四口的演变

在历史时期荆江地区的经济开发与江湖关系的演变历程中,分流诸口是极其重要的影响因素。以宋至清的志书为主要资料,立足于历史学的实证方法,以今荆江南岸存在的4个分流穴口,即虎渡口、调弦口、藕池口和松滋口为主要对象,考察四口在宋元明清时期的分塞情况,并对今人存在的一些认识进行了辨析。其中,虎渡河的形成时间说法不一,南宋以后,虎渡口逐渐形成稳定分流。调弦口自元代大德年间开浚后时开时塞,直至清朝才基本保持分流,1958年调关设置后此口渐废。藕池口早在五代时即已存在,北宋以后湮塞,直至1852年藕池堤溃不筑,藕池河再次形成。松滋河则在1869年以前由于黄家埠堤溃决而形成。研究表明,宋代以降,四口的分塞情况较为复杂,因此,考察荆江穴口分流与湮塞的历史变迁,厘清以往的相关歧见,将有助于更正确、客观地理解今天的人地关系、江湖关系的格局及其走向。     

Valuation of open space and conservation features in residential subdivisions

Conservation subdivision design has been promoted as a way to protect ecologically sensitive areas while maintaining housing densities comparable to standard subdivisions, but many developers and planners question the appeal of conservation design to consumers. This study was conducted to compare economic aspects of conservation subdivision design to standard subdivision design in the midwestern United States. Three methods were used to determine the value homebuyers have for embedded conservation features in residential areas: transactional analyses (to indicate the value homebuyers have expressed for such features in the past); hedonic analyses (to determine the proportion of present value of homes attributable to such features); and contingent valuation (to examine willingness to pay according to homebuyers' preferred features, an indicator of potential future investment). Transactional analyses were based on assessment and transaction data for homes in three conservation-oriented subdivisions and three standard subdivisions in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. Hedonic price models were also derived from assessment and transaction data. Contingent valuation analyses were based on a survey of residents in the same six subdivisions. Transactional data indicated higher 5-year appreciation rates for conservation versus standard subdivision design. Hedonic price models revealed that well-integrated conservation features (e.g. protected stream corridors) within subdivisions have a positive effect on home prices. Sixty-six percent of all respondents indicated willingness to pay for more embedded open space. Maximum willingness to pay was related to several factors including income, gender, desired level of open space, and concern about urban development. Overall, these results indicate that consumer demand and willingness to pay for conservation subdivision design are positive and should not be considered a barrier to implementation.     

Does an energy efficiency label alter consumers' purchasing decisions? A latent class approach based on a stated choice experiment in Shanghai

In this paper we conducted a hypothetical choice experiment in Shanghai, China, to examine whether the China Energy Efficiency Label influences consumers' choices of air conditioners and refrigerators. A latent class approach was applied to observe both heterogeneities among the respondents and product brands. Our results suggested that consumers in Shanghai were well aware of the China Energy Efficiency Label and tended to pay more attention to products with such labels. In addition, air conditioners and refrigerators affixed with a hypothetical label that indicates saving in electricity bills compared with a standard model received significant preferences, which suggested that the more information manufacturers provide, the more their products would be preferred by consumers. Finally, weighted by class probability, the willingness to pay values for more energy efficient refrigerators were higher than those for more energy efficient air conditioners, implying that Shanghai consumers have greater incentive to pay more for appliances they use more frequently.     

Willingness to pay for safe drinking water: Evidence from Parral, Mexico

A referendum-format contingent valuation (CV) survey is used to elicit household willingness to pay responses for safe and reliable drinking water in Parral, Mexico. Households currently adopt a variety of averting and private investment choices (e.g., bottled water consumption, home-based water treatment, and installation of water storage facilities) to adapt to the existing water supply system. These revealed behaviors indicate the latent demand for safer and more reliable water services, which is corroborated by the CV survey evidence. Validity findings include significant scope sensitivity in WTP for water services. Further, results indicate that households are willing to pay from 1.8% to 7.55% of reported household income above their current water bill for safe and reliable drinking water services, depending upon the assumptions about response uncertainty.     

分离剂甲酸溶液浓度和温度对于铝塑湿法分离的影响研究

主要针对无菌复合包装废弃物中去除了纸浆后的铝塑部分的湿法分离工艺进行研究,选用甲酸作为分离溶剂,分析其反应机理。并着重对分离过程的影响控制因素进行实验研究,就不同的分离剂浓度、不同反应温度以及不同液固比条件下铝塑分离的效果及反应速率的变化分别进行分析研究,寻找铝塑片分离各影响因素之间的关系,为工业化生产应用提供参考,以提高无菌复合包装废弃物的再生利用率。