Past, Status Quo and Future of China’s Territorial Planning

Since 1949, China has witnessed four development stages of territorial planning. （1） In the 1950s the territorial planning got its start. （2） From the 1960s to 1970s territorial planning declined. （3） From, the 1980s to 1990s the first major tide of territorial planning began. （4） From the end of the 1990s to recent times the new round of territorial planning is under deliberation. Since 1998, the Ministry of Land and Resources has carried out some related work, especially in organizing pilot projects, and early research on the new round of national territorial planning. According to the need for economic and social development and the current conditions in China, it is the appropriate for China to carry out the new round of territorial planning. However, the government should correctly consider the correlations between territorial planning and other plan- nings, and take appropriate development action, e.g. stressing main points for the basis of overall planning, building a territorial planning system that coordinate with national conditions, strengthening research on various supportive measures of territorial planning, summarizing and upgrading experiences obtained in pilot projects, strengthening international exchange and training talented personnel.     

Traffic rules and traffic safety

In the present paper the effects of traffic rules on driver behaviour and on traffic safety are discussed. The discussion is mainly based on research conerning driver’s use of safety equipment, their speed adjustment and drunken driving with respect to safety potential, effects of the rules, and effects of enforcement on driver behaviour. Factors influencing drivers’ decisions to comply with rules are also considered. It is concluded that only rules that are possible to enforce should be implemented and that police surveillance should be visible to the drivers. Also, the traffic system should be seen as a social system where drivers are interacting with other drivers and road users. Rules and regulations are important to help the actors of the system to function in a safe and effective way.     

Regional environmental assessment (REA) and local Agenda 21 implementation

The implementation of sustainable development requires several support instruments. One of the major instruments in the Rio Declaration to support this process has been environmental assessment that has been given considerable emphasis as to its potential ability to help achieve more sustainable forms of development. Regional environmental assessment (REA) has shown to be effective in supporting local sustainable development process. Selected environmental assessment methods have been␣used to improve the REA exercise and provide reliable data for decision-making not only to correct environmental problems due to past unsustainable social-economic developments but also help local governments to implement Agenda 21 (AG21) plans and projects.     

资源约束与经济增长研究

资源约束条件下的经济增长研究对中翻经济的可持续发展具有重要的理论和现实意义.本文从宏观经济的微观基础分析入手.结合当前中国社会和经济发展的实际,在传统效用函数的基础上,引入了社会地位和资源两个影响因素,通过模型的静态及动态分析,重点研究资源约束对经济系统均衡条件、动态转移的影响.分析结果表明:①当期资源的使用量取决于资源的边际效用、消费的边际效用和时间贴现率的大小.②消费资本比足够大或消费足够多且资本与消费的边际替代率足够小是经济系统存在鞍点均衡的必要条件.③资源消耗足够多时,消费资本比将显著下降.并从资源约束这一角度解释了中国经济增长的投资消费失衡问题.最后从实证角度,利用协整理论验证了资源消耗与消费资本比之间的反向关系.     

Seeing the environment through islamic eyes: Application ofShariah to natural resources planning and management

A comprehensive paradigm of environmental ethics should encompass two things: (1) a particular way of life, and (2) a path to achieve that ideal. An effective paradigm must also be internally consistent, yet externally workable in the real world. On the whole, the modern environmental movement has failed to provide these essential components and qualities in its associated philosophies, most of which suffer from being too abstract or too utopian.This paper suggests that Islam, as a religion and as a body of knowledge, is capable of providing its followers with a comprehensive and practical system of environmental ethics. The basic principles and guidelines of the faith represent the conceptual ideal, while Islamic institutions and laws provide the operational components of an ethical system.     

Shortfalls in minerals investments

The international minerals industry continues to have a substantial investment shortfall. The widening exploration and mineral development gaps, not only in the lesser developed countries but also in the developed nations, are sowing the seeds for future mineral supply disruptions and conflicts. Mutuality of interests demands concerted initiatives, individual as well as collective, to reverse the investment trends established by international mineral finance and the multinational corporations in order to pave the way for secure mineral supplies in the future at acceptable prices.     

Game theory and environmental disputes

The courts have provided the traditional battleground for conflicts between environmental interest groups and those whose actions in some way have an adverse impact on the environment The judicial process is a time-consuming one in which all sides usually must concede to some points. Environmental disputes involve complex scientific issues which the court system is not set up to comprehend, so that the process gives the parties to a dispute the sense of having lost control of their own destinies. An increasing number of parties to environmental disputes are turning to negotiation, or mediation, as an alternative in which they can be active parties in the settlement-making process rather than the victims of a court-imposed solution When do the parties to a dispute choose a negotiated settlement over a court battle? To what extent does each party make the concessions necessary to reach an agreement? These questions can be answered by the game theory that provides a model for analyzing the negotiation process. This paper will apply game theory to two environmental conflict cases A series of questions pertinent to the analysis of all environmental disputes will be raised     

SOIL MOISTURE SENSING WITH AIRCRAFT OBSERVATIONS OF THE DIURNAL RANGE OF SURFACE TEMPERATURE1

ABSTRACT: Aircraft Observations of the surface temperature were made by measurements of the thermal emission in the 8-14 μm band over agricultural fields around Phoenix, Arizona. The diuranal range of these surface temperature measurnments were well correlated with the ground measurment of soil moisture in the 0-2 cm layer. The surface temperature indicating no moisture stress. These results indicate that for clear atmospheric conditions remoteley sensed sufrace temperatures can be a reliable indicator of soil moisture conditions and crop status.     

Influence of Motivations for Seeking ISO 14001 Certification on Perceptions of EMS Effectiveness in China

This study examines the motivations of mainland Chinese facilities in seeking ISO 14001 certification and examines the linkages between these motivations and self-reports of the effectiveness of major environmental management system (EMS) components. In a sample of 128 facilities in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the main drivers for certification were reported to be to ensure regulatory compliance, to enhance the firms reputation, and to improve environmental performance, in that order. Although motivation to achieve cost reductions were least emphasized, a broad range of motivations appears to be considered in the decision to seek certification to ISO 14001. Regression models linking these motivations to the EMS components suggests that internal motivations have an influence on most EMS components. One interesting exception to this, however, is that no significant relationship was observed between internal motivations and the promulgation of environmental objectives and targets. The relationships associated with external motivations for certification (i.e., those in response to customer and other stakeholder pressures) and EMS components, on the other hand, are weaker and tend to occur earlier in the process cycle. No significant relationships were found between motivations to reduce costs and perceptions of the effectiveness of EMS components. Overall, these findings suggest that ISO 14001, as currently being implemented in mainland China, may have a modestly useful role when used in combination with other policy mechanisms to move the Chinese economy toward more sustainable practices. It is asserted that the ISO standard could provide even greater benefits if Chinese registrars were more proactive in developing EMS in conjunction with even more rigorous third-party audits.Published online