A Cumulative Energy Demand indicator (CED), life cycle based,for industrial waste management decision making

Life cycle thinking is a good approach to be used for environmental decision-support, although the complexity of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies sometimes prevents their wide use. The purpose of this paper is to show how LCA methodology can be simplified to be more useful for certain applications.In order to improve waste management in Catalonia (Spain), a Cumulative Energy Demand indicator (LCA-based) has been used to obtain four mathematical models to help the government in the decision of preventing or allowing a specific waste from going out of the borders. The conceptual equations and all the subsequent developments and assumptions made to obtain the simplified models are presented.One of the four models is discussed in detail, presenting the final simplified equation to be subsequently used by the government in decision making.The resulting model has been found to be scientifically robust, simple to implement and, above all, fulfilling its purpose: the limitation of waste transport out of Catalonia unless the waste recovery operations are significantly better and justify this transport.     

Use of watershed characteristics to select control streams for estimating effects of metal mining wastes on extensively disturbed streams

Impacts of sediments and heavy metals on the biota of streams in the copper-mining district of southwestern Montana were examined by comparing aquatic communities of impacted streams with those of control streams. Control streams were chosen through the use of a technique that identifies similar streams based on similarities in their watershed characteristics. Significant differences between impacted and control sites existed for surface substrate, riparian vegetation, and the number of macroinvertebrate taxa. These results revealed that: (a) chemical and physical habitats at the impacted sites were disrupted, (b) the presence of trout was an inadequate measure of ecological integrity for these sites, and (c) watershed classification based on a combination of mapped terrestrial characteristics provided a reasonable method to select control sites where potential control sites upstream and downstream were unsuitable.     

沙尘现象与不发育荒漠化生态损失的关系探讨

本文从生态破坏因子沙尘暴，扬沙等负蚀现象入手，根据自然尘的地域来源分布及地理条件，论证了沙尘现象与不发育的荒漠化生态损失的关系，进而对内蒙古中西部生态环境的脆弱性和发展趋势进行分析。     

情景分析技术在制定区域大气复合污染控制方案中的应用研究

目前我国区域性大气复合污染日益严重,迫切需要明晰的控制技术路线指引。本文尝试将情景分析技术应用于区域复合污染控制方案制定中。建立了包括确定主题、驱动力筛选、驱动力预测、排放量预测和情景构建等步骤的情景设计方法。并利用本文建立的方法,详细介绍了在构建区域大气复合污染压力-状态-响应模型的基础上,利用主要驱动力与压力之间的数学关系,进行驱动力预测、构建基线情景和控制情景的方法。讨论了在制定区域协同控制方案过程中,确定满足区域总量控制目标的分区减排原则,并提出实现区域协同控制区域性大气复合污染的控制目标的分区削减方案情景设计的方法建议。     

不同特征污染源中指示性药物和个人护理品识别与筛选

通过分析我国地表水中药物和个人护理品（PPCPs）主要污染源排放特征,识别和筛选出咖啡因、卡马西平和磺胺嘧啶为我国地表水环境中的指示性PPCPs（i-PPCPs）,分别指征城镇生活污水、城镇污水处理厂出水和养殖废水三类特征污染排放源.同时,基于筛选的i-PPCPs开展了初步应用研究,结果表明,生活污水是北运河和黄浦江流域地表水中PPCPs的主要来源.研究结果为构建更综合和有效的PPCPs的溯源体系,识别我国城市地表水环境中PPCPs的主要排放源提供了理论依据.     

天然高寒草地转变为混播人工草地对土壤微生物群落特征的影响

为了研究天然高寒草地转变为混播人工草地对土壤微生物群落的影响,采用高通量测序技术分析了青海省共和县的天然以及由天然转变为混播人工草地样地土壤中的微生物群落.结果表明,天然草地转变为混播人工草地后植被物种多样性和土壤有机质含量显著下降(P<0.05).在两块样地共检测到29个细菌门和11个真菌门的微生物.天然草地转变为人工草地后,土壤细菌的多样性显著升高,细菌的香农指数从9.51增加到9.89;土壤真菌的多样性降低但差异不显著.与天然草地相比,人工草地的土壤细菌与真菌群落结构、组成均发生了明显的变化,细菌群落结构与总有机质的含量、总氮含量和土壤含水量显著相关,真菌群落结构与总有机质含量和土壤含水量显著相关.线性判别分析(LEfSe)结果表明,暗黑菌门细菌(Atribacteria)和子囊菌门真菌(Ascomycota)可作为天然草地的指示微生物类群,出芽菌属细菌(Gemmata)和发菌科真菌(Trichocomaceae)可作为人工草地的指示微生物类群.利用Tax4Fun2对细菌群落功能的预测发现,天然草地向人工草地的转变影响了细菌群落对不同碳源的利用潜力.     

防灾工程动态投资决策方法初探

本文提出了防灾工程的抗力、灾损度和灾害的灾度、灾害势以及动态决策准则等概念,基于现代控制理论,初步建立了防灾工程动态投资决策的一般方法,并对其进行了理论分析和研究。这里的决策包括防灾工程的初始投资(或设防水平)决策及其防灾规划期(或寿命期)内的防灾减灾维护投资(或维护水平)决策.文中还给出了算例,对上述方法进行了应用。算例结果表明,本文提出的防灾工程动态投资决策方法具有比较显著的经济效益。     

论地质灾害防治对策及其系统决策

本文在讨论地质灾害基本属性的基础上,提出了地质灾害防治的基本对策,并基于多目标决策特点,构造了三类地质灾害防治决策最优化模型。     

An Assessment of the Valuation Methods Used to Calculate the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), and Sustainable Net Benefit Index (SNBI)

For some time now, ecological economists have been putting forward a ‘threshold hypothesis’ – the notion that when macroeconomic systems expand beyond a certain size, the additional cost of growth exceeds the flow of additional benefits. In order to support their belief, ecological economists have developed a number of similar indexes to measure and compare the benefits and costs of growth (e.g., the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare and the Genuine Progress Indicator). In virtually every instance where an index of this type has been calculated for a particular country, the movement of the index appears to reinforce the existence of the threshold hypothesis. Of late, a number of observers have expressed concerns about whether these alternative indexes reflect concrete reality or the prejudices of ecological economists. In view of these concerns, this paper closely examines the valuation methods used in the calculation the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare, the Genuine Progress Indicator, and the Sustainable Net Benefit Index. It is argued that a consistent and more robust set of valuation techniques is required in order for these alternative indexes to gain broad acceptability.*Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

我国小康生活水平的测量尺度与标准

本文在分析我国经济、社会发展规划、目标和现代化进程的基础上,借鉴国际上的通用标准,并结合我国国情,提出了我国小康生活水平的测量标准,建立了由20个指标构成的小康生活水平指标体系。