改革开放40年与中国生态环境规划发展

改革开放40年,生态环境保护随着社会经济的发展而深入发展,生态环境规划与生态环境保护事业同时起步。40年,来编制了9个五年生态环境规划,经历了从无到有、从简单到完善的发展过程,逐步形成了有层次、分类型、多样化的规划体系,规划理念、技术、方法取得了重大进展,规划实践探索丰富多样,对我国生态环境保护工作发挥了统领性作用。十八大以来,生态文明建设体制改革深入推进,十九大确立了美丽中国的宏伟目标,经济高质量发展和生态环境高水平保护统筹推进。在新的历史阶段,生态环境规划将进一步发挥基础性、统领性、战略性和创新性作用,为美丽中国建设作出更大贡献。     

A longitudinal study of the links between Local Air Quality Management and Local Transport Planning policy processes in England

The second round of the Local Transport Plan (LTP2) process in England presents unique challenges and opportunities for integrating Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) within current transport planning policy. Using content analysis of LTP2 documents from nine English authorities, and results from a questionnaire survey of local government officers undertaken in late 2007, this paper charts the changes in the integration of air quality management within the transport planning process since 1997. While substantial improvements in policy integration were observed within the selected case studies, the paper demonstrates that such improvements are often constrained by institutional complexities that create implementation gaps between national objectives and local decision-making outcomes.     

“水十条”对工业水污染强度的影响及其机制

《水污染防治行动计划》(简称“水十条”)是国家为切实加大水污染防治力度,保障国家水安全而制定的法规。为检验“水十条”的政策影响效应,文章利用2012—2017年全国269个地级市的数据,结合工业化程度、对外开放水平、技术进步、人口规模、水资源禀赋等控制变量,运用双重差分法对“水十条”政策实施是否有助于减轻工业水污染强度进行研究。研究发现:我国中西部地区由于产业结构、技术水平等原因,工业水污染强度显著高于其他地区,“水十条”政策实施显著降低了中西部地区工业水污染强度。通过改变政策实施时间、剔除中心城市、增加控制变量以及剔除严重污染等方式进行重新回归,检验结果依然具有较强稳健性。进一步分析中,文章研究了产业结构以及技术创新的作用机制,发现第一产业比重显著降低,而第三产业显著提升,产业结构得到优化,并且技术创新效应显著加强。结果表明,产业结构升级以及技术创新均为“水十条”政策改善工业水污染强度的有效途径。在空间异质性方面,在环境规制强度较高的地区“水十条”政策对工业水污染强度的影响相对较小;而在环境规制强度较低地区却呈现出较强的抑制作用,主要原因在于环境规制强度高的地区水污染情况原本较好,因此污染强度降低幅度较小。因此,文章认为“水十条”政策能够显著改善工业水污染强度,并且加上环境规制、技术创新以及产业结构优化等手段的辅助能够更好地发挥政策效果。文章的发现为中国水污染防治行动提供了有益的政策启示。     

China’s air pollution reduction efforts may result in an increase in surface ozone levels in highly polluted areas

China, as a fast growing fossil-fuel-based economy, experiences increasing levels of air pollution. To tackle air pollution, China has taken the first steps by setting emission–reduction targets for nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and sulphur dioxide (SO₂) in the 11th and 12th Five Year Plans. This paper uses two models—the Energy–Environment–Economy Model at the Global level (E3MG) and the global Chemistry Transport Model pTOMCAT—to test the effects of these policies. If the policy targets are met, then the maximum values of 32 % and 45 % reductions below ‘business as usual’ in the monthly mean NO_x and SO₂ concentrations, respectively, will be achieved in 2015. However, a decrease in NO_x concentrations in some highly polluted areas of East, North-East and South-East China can lead to up to a 10% increase in the monthly mean concentrations in surface ozone in 2015. Our study demonstrates an urgent need for the more detailed analysis of the impacts and designs of air pollution reduction guidelines for China.     

The SEAP in the city of Girona,a crossroads between boldness and pragmatism

The Covenant of Mayors has secured the commitments of over 5400 European Cities (as of December 2013) to achieving the European Union 20-20-20 climate change mitigation targets by 2020 through action at the local level. Due to the youth of the initiative, few experiences have been reported in the academic literature. We study the development of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) in the city of Girona (Catalonia, Spain) to analyse the opportunities and challenges this process may present in a small- to medium-sized, compact Mediterranean city. This knowledge can provide information to local authorities in similar municipalities, technical teams and decision-makers at the European level interested in enhancing the performance of such plans in the future. In this article, we explain how the SEAP was developed in Girona, the main results and proposed actions, and discuss the main setbacks. We conclude that an overarching European oversight organism is advisable to coordinate and aid local efforts.     

“十三五”甘肃省降尘时空变化趋势及影响因素

通过分析"十三五"期间甘肃省降尘及相关数据,对甘肃省降尘时空变化情况进行研究,对其变化趋势和影响因素进行分析。"十三五"期间,甘肃省降尘总体呈下降趋势,下降幅度达24.30%,全省植被覆盖指数上升2.03%,降尘与植被覆盖指数负相关性显著。自然来源中,沙尘天气是影响甘肃省降尘的主要因素。城市精细化管理水平的提高可减少降尘人为来源。     

Siro‐plan: improving the acceptability of a practical planning method

The SIRO‐Plan method was evolved in the CSIRO Division of Water and Land Resources, Canberra, in response to what was seen as an absence in literature of a procedural theory calling for the use of both systematically acquired resource inventory data and expressions of community demands. The paper records a selection of insights accumulated and lessons learned during six years of effort to improve the usefulness of the method.     

River Dolphins in Bangladesh: Conservation and the Effects of Water Development

Platanista gangetica ) are threatened in Bangladesh from the effects of dams, large embankment schemes, dredging, fisheries bycatch, directed hunting, and water pollution. Visual surveys of the section of the Jamuna River located between the divergence of the Old Brahmaputra River and the confluence of the Padma River and the section of the Kushiyara River located between the Bangladesh–India border and the confluence of the Korangi River recorded a sighting rate of 0.13 sightings/km (mean group size = 1.8 dolphins) and 0.08 sightings/km (mean group size = 3.8 dolphins), respectively. These sections of river were considered to be priority areas for investigation because several water development projects have already been constructed and more are planned for the areas. During the surveys we examined the remains of dolphins caught accidentally in plastic gillnets and observed fishermen catching the fish species Clupisoma garua using dolphin oil and body parts as a fish attractor. Additional studies are needed to assess the status of dolphins and effects of water development and fisheries bycatch. Feasibility studies should be conducted on designating dolphin/fish sanctuaries and creating artificial habitat or enhancing existing habitat in eddy countercurrent scour pools to mitigate deleterious impacts. The environmental requirements of river dolphins reflect the needs of productive and biotically diverse tropical rivers.     

An evaluation of risk assessment framework for industrial accidents in India

Due to rapid industrialization, with high population density and constraints of land, it is expected that level of risks arising from the hazardous industries will increase in India in the coming decades. However, 30 years after the Bhopal accident (1984), except a few discrete regulations, there is as yet no integrated system for assessing and managing risks arising out of these hazardous industries in India. The gravity of aspects related to the management of industrial risk still remains crucially important. In particular, there is no standard guideline on risk analysis methodology, acceptability or tolerability criteria, nor is there an accident database or a risk reduction strategy for the areas where risk levels are already high. On top of this, there are technical and legislative gaps in the institutional framework to implement any of the above mentioned issues. With the backdrop of the Bhopal gas tragedy, the objective of this paper is therefore to evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive risk assessment framework for the emerging economy of India, in order to control and/or to reduce the risk level that exists. In this context, regulations and policies pertaining to industrial risk assessment were reviewed.     

Public participation mechanisms and sustainable policy-making: a case study analysis of Mexico City's Plan Verde

Mexico City has gained an international reputation for its ground-breaking approach to sustainability as a result of policies implemented during the Marcelo Ebrard administration (2006–2012). In this paper, we examine the development and implementation of the Plan Verde de la Ciudad de México (Green Plan), the 15-year policy aimed to transform Mexico City into the most progressive and sustainable city in Latin America. Key to the plan's success, it was claimed, would be the active participation of stakeholders from all levels of society. Drawing on documentary material and interviews, we argue that whilst the plan did have a significant impact on the environmental sustainability of the megacity, it failed to include effective citizen participation mechanisms. As predicted by several members of the Green Plan Monitoring and Assessment Board, this lack of representation, alongside other failures, appears to have facilitated the premature demise of the plan under the new administration.