长江经济带水资源利用的动态效率及绝对β收敛研究——基于三阶段DEA-Malmquist指数法

利用三阶段DEA-Malmquist指数法,对2009~2014年长江经济带11省市水资源全要素生产率及其分解指数进行了测算和分析。研究结果表明:在剔除了外部环境因素和随机误差因素以后,长江经济带水资源的全要素生产率及其分解效率发生了显著变化,水资源全要素生产率年均增长7.2%,技术进步指数年均增长4.7%,技术效率指数年均增长2.4%,技术进步是推动长江经济带水资源全要素生产率增长的主要源泉。分区域来看,西部地区水资源全要素生产率和技术效率年均增长率最高,东部地区技术进步年均增长率最高。长江经济带水资源全要素生产率存在显著绝对β收敛,表明长江经济带内省际水资源全要素生产率差距正在缩小,最终都朝相同的稳态水平趋近。     

长江经济带城市体系空间格局演变

构建科学合理的城市体系空间格局,是推进新型城镇化、促进区域协调发展的重要内容。基于1988、2001、2012年长江经济带城市影响力指数及交通路网数据,运用Kernel密度分析法、分形理论、修正引力模型等方法对长江经济带城市规模结构演变、城市等级结构演变及城市体系演变进行深入分析。结果表明:长江经济带城市规模变化明显,由单一低水平俱乐部向中、高水平的多个俱乐部发展,出现城市规模多峰主的"俱乐部趋同"现象,低、中、高的等级序列分布模式趋于完善;城市规模结构在空间上逐步形成典型的多核心-边缘结构;长江经济带城市规模体系总体呈初级首位型特征,但合理化发展趋势明显;城市引力强度差异持续缩小、地域差异性显著,低层级引力城市多分布在中西部地区;区域内逐步形成长三角、中三角及大西南3大城市体系,而中三角城市体系组织相对松散。基于城市体系格局分析,研究从因素层、机制层、特征层及目标层等4个层次探讨了长江经济带城市体系空间演化机理。     

长江经济带入境旅游经济时空格局动态性——基于ESDA&GWR法

以5 a为时间间隔,运用ESDA法采用旅游外汇收入平均增长量和平均增长率指标,研究长江经济带126个市域单元2000~2015年入境旅游经济的空间格局演化特征,运用GWR法分析入境旅游经济影响因素的空间异质性。结果表明:(1)长江经济带旅游外汇收入平均增长量莫兰指数经历了0.164 6~0.164 1~0.057 2的变化趋势,增量相似市域由较强集聚向较弱集聚转化,市域旅游经济增长趋于均衡。一级热点区始终位于江浙沿海市域。一级冷点区由研究区中部向苏北转移,空间范围大大缩小。(2)长江经济带旅游外汇收入平均增长率莫兰指数表现为0.098 6~0.293 1~0.198 9的变化趋势,市域之间旅游经济增长关联程度增强,总体差异逐渐缩小。一级冷热点区大幅度转移,同时热点区范围大幅度扩大。后期热点市域数量大大超过冷点市域数量。(3)入境旅游发展较为落后的湖南省、云南省增长速度最快,长三角城市群所属市域始终是入境旅游经济增长最活跃的地区。     

The impact of shoreline stabilization on economic growth in small island developing states

This paper assesses the economic growth impact of shoreline stabilization policy in Small Island Developing States. Concentrating on the Barbadian efforts to stem shoreline retreat, it explores whether investments in shoreline stabilization and beach amenity enhancement have beneficial effects on medium-term economic growth. The analysis relies on the synthetic control method as a way to systematically choose comparison units (beach sites), which allows for precise quantitative inference in small-sample studies. Our results indicate that in the first three years after shoreline stabilization works were completed, local economic effects, as measured by nighttime lights data, are positive and indicate a positive trend. Confidence bounds obtained by a bootstrapping method suggest that the positive trend is robust in the last two years post-treatment. Shoreline stabilization works may therefore not only help preserve fragile ecological conditions, but further lead to sustainable growth in the local economy.     

Wave energy vs. other energy sources: A reassessment of the economics

The large scatter in the predictions of wave energy costs, which is caused in part by the simplifications assumed by existing models, is a hindrance for the development of this promising renewable. In this context, the main objective of this paper is to reassess the cost of wave energy taking into account a number of elements that are usually overlooked, or not considered simultaneously. This analysis has been performed in relation to the European context. The direct and indirect costs of a wave farm are examined, and a value for each is presented. The levelized cost (€/MWh) of wave energy is then calculated for different scenarios in order to compare the profitability of wave energy with that of other energy sources. After that, a sensitivity analysis is carried out to identify the main parameters affecting the total cost, considering in particular the effect on the levelized cost of considering: (i) the cost reductions arising from economies of scale and technological effects; (ii) an O&M cost variable throughout the useful life of the farm; and (iii) the externalities. In sum, this work sets the basis for a thorough economic comparison of wave energy with other sources of energy.     

Socio-economic vulnerability to climate change in the central mountainous region of eastern Mexico

Climate change effects are expected to be more severe for some segments of society than others. In Mexico, climate variability associated with climate change has important socio-economic and environmental impacts. From the central mountainous region of eastern Veracruz, Mexico, we analyzed data of total annual precipitation and mean annual temperature from 26 meteorological stations (1922–2008) and from General Circulation Models. We developed climate change scenarios based on the observed trends with projections to 2025, 2050, 2075, and 2100, finding considerable local climate changes with reductions in precipitation of over 700 mm and increases in temperature of ~9°C for the year 2100. Deforested areas located at windward were considered more vulnerable, representing potential risk for natural environments, local communities, and the main crops cultivated (sugarcane, coffee, and corn). Socio-economic vulnerability is exacerbated in areas where temperature increases and precipitation decreases.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-015-0690-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

First report on development of quantitative interspecies structure-carcinogenicity relationship models and exploring discriminatory features for rodent carcinogenicity of diverse organic chemicals using OECD guidelines

Different regulatory agencies in food and drug administration and environmental protection worldwide are employing quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to fill the data gaps related with properties of chemicals affecting the environment and human health. Carcinogenicity is a toxicity endpoint of major concern in recent times. Interspecies toxicity correlations may provide a tool for estimating sensitivity towards toxic chemical exposure with known levels of uncertainty for a diversity of wildlife species. In this background, we have developed quantitative interspecies structure-carcinogenicity correlation models for rat and mouse [rodent species according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines] based on the carcinogenic potential of 166 organic chemicals with wide diversity of molecular structures, spanning a large number of chemical classes and biological mechanisms. All the developed models have been assessed according to the OECD principles for the validation of QSAR models. Consensus predictions for carcinogenicity of the individual compounds are presented here for any one species when the data for the other species are available. Informative illustrations of the contributing structural fragments of chemicals which are responsible for specific carcinogenicity endpoints are identified by the developed models. The models have also been used to predict mouse carcinogenicities of 247 organic chemicals (for which rat carcinogenicities are present) and rat carcinogenicities of 150 chemicals (for which mouse carcinogenicities are present). Discriminatory features for rat and mouse carcinogenicity values have also been explored.     

芜湖经济技术开发区土地集约利用评价研究

通过界定开发区土地集约利用内涵,构建评价指标体系,运用特尔斐法、多因素综合评价法,选择评价模型并确定权重,对芜湖经济技术开发区进行土地集约利用评价。结果表明,开发区土地集约利用度综合分值较高,但区内综合容积率偏低,投资产出比有待提高。提出以规划、产业结构调整等促进土地集约利用的政策措施,并对评价指标体系和思路进行了讨论。     

Economic liabilities of environmental pollution by coal mining: Indian scenario

India is the first country to introduce environmental legislation in the constitution but because of lengthy legal procedures, it is very difficult to control environmental deterioration. There are many factors responsible for this deterioration. Coal mining is one such activity where deterioration is very severe and the present communication aims this aspect. Coal is the one of the most essential mineral having large reserves in India. It’s mining and beneficiation produce a variety of pollutants. The main pollutants emitted during the processing of coal are green house gases, coal dust and acid mine drainage. Many reports on different aspects of coal mining are available including reports on emission of different pollutants but the present work is probably only of it’s kind in which the authors have tried to determine environment liability directly in terms of economy. It was found that greenhouse liabilities, coal dust liability and sulphur liability are accounted for 12.07, 5.0 and 101.97 US$, making an overall 2.4% of the total economic gains due to coal mining. During the calculations approximate number of total workers and other parameters have been taken into consideration. Who pays for this irreversible damage is a question. Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

Linking GIS-based models to value ecosystem services in an Alpine region

Planning frequently fails to include the valuation of public goods and services. This can have long-term negative economic consequences for a region. This is especially the case in mountainous regions such as the Alps, which depend on tourism and where land-use changes can negatively impact key ecosystem services and hence the economy. In this study, we develop a semi-automatic procedure to value ecosystem goods and services. Several existing process-based models linked to economic valuation methods are integrated into a geographic information system (GIS) platform. The model requires the input of a digital elevation model, a land-cover map, and a spatially explicit temperature dataset. These datasets are available for most regions in Europe. We illustrate the approach by valuing four ecosystem services: avalanche protection, timber production, scenic beauty, and habitat, which are supplied by the “Landschaft Davos”, an administrative district in the Swiss Alps. We compare the impacts of a human development scenario and a climate scenario on the value of these ecosystem services. Urban expansion and tourist infrastructure developments have a negative impact on scenic beauty and habitats. These impacts outweigh the benefits of the developments in the long-term. Forest expansion, predictable under a climate change scenario, favours natural avalanche protection and habitats. In general, such non-marketed benefits provided by the case-study region more than compensate for the costs of forest maintenance. Finally, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the approach. Despite its limitations, we show how this approach could well help decision-makers balance the impacts of different planning options on the economic accounting of a region, and guide them in selecting sustainable and economically feasible development strategies.