Global assessment of the biodiversity safeguards of development banks that finance infrastructure

Infrastructure development is a major driver of biodiversity loss globally. With upward of US$2.5 trillion in annual investments in infrastructure, the financial sector indirectly drives this biodiversity loss. At the same time, biodiversity safeguards (project-level biodiversity impact mitigation requirements) of infrastructure financiers can help limit this damage. The coverage and harmonization of biodiversity safeguards are important factors in their effectiveness and therefore warrant scrutiny. It is equally important to examine the extent to which these safeguards align with best-practice principles for biodiversity impact mitigation outlined in international policies, such as that of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. We assessed the biodiversity safeguards of public development banks and development finance institutions for coverage, harmonization, and alignment with best practice. We used Institute of New Structural Economics and Agence Française de Développement's global database to identify development banks that invest in high-biodiversity-footprint infrastructure and have over US$500 million in assets. Of the 155 banks, 42% (n = 65) had biodiversity safeguards. Of the existing safeguards, 86% (56 of 65) were harmonized with International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standard 6 (PS6). The IFC PS6 (and by extension the 56 safeguard policies harmonized with it) had high alignment with international best practice in biodiversity impact mitigation, whereas the remaining 8 exhibited partial alignment, incorporating few principles that clarify the conditions for effective biodiversity offsetting. Given their dual role in setting benchmarks and leveraging private finance, infrastructure financiers in development finance need to adopt best-practice biodiversity safeguards if the tide of global biodiversity loss is to be stemmed. The IFC PS6, if strengthened, can act as a useful template for other financier safeguards. The high degree of harmonization among safeguards is promising, pointing to a potential for diffusion of practices.     

价值核算是环境核算的关键

实行环境核算是将其纳入国民经济核算体系 ,是实施可持续发展战略的一项重大措施 ,而价值核算则是环境核算及其纳入国民经济核算体系的关键。本文阐述了环境价值构成和核算问题。     

两波长定域同步荧光光谱法快速测定苯并(a)芘的研究

本文提出了快速测定环境样品中强致癌物BaP的两波长定域同步荧光光谱法(SFDW),样品经有机溶剂超声提取后,可以不经过预分离而直接用于测定,该方法操作简单、快速、灵敏,分析一个样品的时间由原来的1小时缩短为几分钟。其检测限为10~(-10)g,定量的线性范围至少可达三个数量级,该方法直接检测BaP的结果和样品经过分离后,采用高效液相色谱法(HPLC)测定的结果相近,其相对误差小于±20％,易于实现仪器化。     

福建国有林场森林防火工程体系建设成效

福建是我国重点林区,也是森林火灾的重灾区,福建国有林场系统重视森林防火工程体系建设,强化林火阻隔网络、林火预报与监控,林火交通通讯,组建快速扑火队伍等“四网二化”建设,取得显著成效。     

一种新型飞机防护罩的防腐蚀性能评价

目的 对一种新型飞机防护罩的防腐蚀性能进行评价.方法 首先,对新型飞机防护罩进行气相缓蚀能力检测;其次,根据加速环境试验谱,将被新型飞机防护罩与防水帆布包裹的铝合金试件进行盐雾试验和紫外试验;最后,将新型飞机防护罩与防水帆布进行浸泡试验.结果 新型飞机防护罩的气化性防锈膜层缓蚀效果较好.在盐雾试验中,试件的腐蚀程度顺序...     

新冠疫情背景下建筑从业人员统计生命价值研究

为研究建筑职业风险和新冠疫情风险下的统计生命价值(VOSL),以成都市建筑从业者为对象采集数据,基于生存分析处理删失数据的特性,运用二分式条件价值法(CVM)和Kaplan-Meier法测算不同背景下的VOSL,运用COX回归对VOSL影响因素进行分析。研究结果表明：成都市建筑从业者在职业风险和新冠疫情风险下的VOSL分别为429.472,459.079万元,生命价值评估具有情境依赖性且存在“引导悖论”;2种风险背景下受访者学历、月收入及安全重视程度的提高均会增强支付意愿,而安全满意程度的提高则会降低支付意愿;职业风险下影响支付意愿的关键因素为安全设备保障满意程度、重视程度和学历,新冠疫情风险下影响支付意愿的关键因素为卫生安全重视程度、学历和月收入。     

多环芳烃共代谢对苯并[a]蒽微生物降解的影响及机制

利用14C同位素示踪技术,研究土壤中菲、蒽、芘3种底物对苯并[a]蒽(BaA)环境归趋的影响,高通量测序解析细菌群落响应.结果表明,3种底物均可以促进BaA的降解,添加蒽作为共代谢底物后,BaA矿化率比对照提高了2.5％,而添加菲、芘时,14C在土壤的结合态比对照升高4％,达总添加量的31％.共代谢底物改变了细菌共生网...     

Human-derived cell lines to study xenobiotic metabolism

In vitro systems make for rapid identification of xenobiotic effects and can be used to study cellular and subcellular toxicity mechanisms. In this report the metabolic competence of two human-derived cell lines, a hepatic (Hep G2) and a pulmonary one (A549) was tested. In the two cell systems the capability to activate Benzo[a]Pyrene through the cytochrome P450 enzyme system and to form reactive metabolites was analysed. ³H-BaP and the scintillation counting analysis were used to show the differences of the metabolic activity in Hep G2 and A549. A similar time course of ³H-BaP uptake was observed in the cell systems. Nevertheless, in the two cell lines the distribution of radioactive metabolites seemed to reflect a specific tissue response to toxicity.     

Mechanisms and impacts of an incentive-based conservation program with evidence from a randomized control trial

Conservation science needs more high-quality impact evaluations, especially ones that explore mechanisms of success or failure. Randomized control trials (RCTs) provide particularly robust evidence of the effectiveness of interventions (although they have been criticized as reductionist and unable to provide insights into mechanisms), but there have been few such experiments investigating conservation at the landscape scale. We explored the impact of Watershared, an incentive-based conservation program in the Bolivian Andes, with one of the few RCTs of landscape-scale conservation in existence. There is strong interest in such incentive-based conservation approaches as some argue they can avoid negative social impacts sometimes associated with protected areas. We focused on social and environmental outcomes based on responses from a household survey in 129 communities randomly allocated to control or treatment (conducted both at the baseline in 2010 and repeated in 2015–2016). We controlled for incomplete program uptake by combining standard RCT analysis with matching methods and investigated mechanisms by exploring intermediate and ultimate outcomes according to the underlying theory of change. Previous analyses, focused on single biophysical outcomes, showed that over its first 5 years Watershared did not slow deforestation or improve water quality at the landscape scale. We found that Watershared influenced some outcomes measured using the survey, but the effects were complex, and some were unexpected. We thus demonstrated how RCTs can provide insights into the pathways of impact, as well as whether an intervention has impact. This paper, one of the first registered reports in conservation science, demonstrates how preregistration can help make complex research designs more transparent, avoid cherry picking, and reduce publication bias.     

水源水除藻研究中藻类监测方法的选用

对显微计数和叶绿素α测定两种主要藻类的监测方法进行了简要评述，提出在水源水除藻研究中应针对不同的除藻机制，采取不同的藻类监测方法。化学氧化除藻大都使用强氧化剂，将它们投入含藻的水体后，能穿透藻类细胞壁，扩散至细胞内部氧化叶绿素，使藻类代谢终止、死亡，故宜采用叶绿素α法。生物法除藻是利用生物对藻类的吸附、捕食和分解等作用去除藻类，则应采用计数法。