Evaluating the role of environmental quality in the sustainable rural economic development of England

The issue of the sustainable development of rural economies in England has recently received considerable attention. This is because many of the poorest areas in the country are rural, often of high environmental quality, but suffering from high unemployment and a lack of services and facilities. The rapid decline in agricultural incomes and in-migration of affluent urban workers since 1990 has exacerbated economic inequality in such areas. A number of factors have the potential to drive rural development and this paper applies, and considers, the feasibility of a method from the USA for combining economic and environmental variables in a regional growth model to examine the hypothesis that environmental quality is an important determinant of sustainable rural development in England. The model output suggests that, although environmental quality does play a role in sustainable rural development in England there are other, more important, factors driving development. These include business and communications infra-structure, the degree and opportunities for commuting and underlying employment prospects. The robustness and limitations of the method for combining economic and environmental variables is discussed in relation to the spatial interrelatedness of Local Authority Districts in England, and conclusions are drawn about areas for refinement and improvement of the method.

农作物病虫害专业化防治服务对农药施用强度的影响

农药过量施用已造成严重的负外部性。推行农作物病虫害专业化统防统治服务可以实现安全、科学、合理用药,有效缓解农业面源污染问题和提升食品的质量安全水平。为了探究病虫害专业化统防统治服务在缓解农业面源污染方面的效果,文章利用全国七省水稻病虫害专业化防治服务调查数据,基于倾向得分匹配方法(PSM),剔除样本自选择内生性问题的影响,分析农户将水稻病虫害防治环节外包给植保专业化服务组织("统防统治")与"自防自治"户相比使用农药的种类和施用次数的差异,即植保专业化防治是否取得了较好的环境效应。研究结果表明,植保专业化服务显著减少了农药施用强度,提高了无公害低毒农药的采用比例;并且其效果在小农户和规模种植大户之间存在明显差异,与采纳病虫害统防统治服务的规模种植大户相比,小规模种植户在采纳病虫害统防统治服务后在降低农药施用强度,提高无公害低毒农药的应用比例方面效果更显著。基于此,文章建议强化对植保专业化防治项目的财政扶持力度,提高病虫害专业化防治覆盖率;重点鼓励小规模种植户采纳病虫害统防统治服务;鼓励农户土地流转,促进农业生产规模化经营,加强对种植专业户的病虫害防治方面的培训和引导,并着力发挥专业大户的示范带头作用,提高统防统治的效率,从而促进食品质量安全水平的提升和农业生态环境的保护。     

Learning About the History of Landscape Use for the Future: Consequences for Ecological and Social Systems in Swedish Bergslagen

Barriers and bridges to implement policies about sustainable development and sustainability commonly depend on the past development of social–ecological systems. Production of metals required integration of use of ore, streams for energy, and wood for bioenergy and construction, as well as of multiple societal actors. Focusing on the Swedish Bergslagen region as a case study we (1) describe the phases of natural resource use triggered by metallurgy, (2) the location and spatial extent of 22 definitions of Bergslagen divided into four zones as a proxy of cumulative pressure on landscapes, and (3) analyze the consequences for natural capital and society. We found clear gradients in industrial activity, stream alteration, and amount of natural forest from the core to the periphery of Bergslagen. Additionally, the legacy of top-down governance is linked to today’s poorly diversified business sector and thus municipal vulnerability. Comparing the Bergslagen case study with other similar regions in Russia and Germany, we discuss the usefulness of multiple case studies.     

Temporal patterns of atmospheric mercury species in northern Mississippi during 2011–2012: Influence of sudden population swings

Gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and particulate bound mercury (PBM) were measured on the University of Mississippi campus from July 2011 to June 2012. It is believed to be the first time that concentrations of atmospheric mercury species have been documented in northern Mississippi, and at a location with relatively large and sudden swings in population. The mean concentration (±1SD) of GEM was 1.54 ± 0.32 ng m⁻³; levels were lower and generally more stable during the winter (1.48 ± 0.22) and spring (1.46 ± 0.27) compared with the summer (1.56 ± 0.32) and fall (1.63 ± 0.42). Mean concentrations for GOM and PBM were 3.87 pg m⁻³ and 4.58 pg m⁻³, respectively; levels tended to be highest in the afternoon and lowest in the early morning hours. During the fall and spring academic semesters concentrations and variability of GOM and PBM both increased, possibly from vehicle exhaust. There were moderate negative correlations with wind speed (all species) and humidity (GOM and PBM). Backward air mass trajectory modeling for the ten highest peaks for each mercury species revealed that the majority of these events occurred from air masses that passed through the northern continental US region. Overall, this study illustrates the complexity of temporal fluctuations of airborne mercury species, even in a small town environment.     

Inter-municipal cooperation for wastewater treatment: case studies from Israel

Since the beginning of the 1990s, local authorities in Israel have been engaged in promoting advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) projects throughout the country, resulting in the "wastewater treatment revolution" of the 1990s. These achievements are extremely important in the water-scarce country, as untreated or partially treated wastewater has become a major source of pollution of Israel's fresh-water resources, and reuse of high-quality effluents can expand the national water potential. Many of these projects are regional schemes based on a central WWTP, serving a few neighboring municipalities. This paper presents two case studies of such regional cooperation: the "Karmiel Region Union of Towns for Sewage Treatment" and the "Treatment and Reuse of Wastewater in the area of the Hadera Stream, Ltd." corporation. The findings suggest that regional cooperation can be an efficient tool in promoting advanced wastewater treatment, and has several advantages: an efficient use of limited resources (financial and land); balancing disparities between municipalities (size, socio-economic features, consciousness and ability of local leaders); and reducing spillover effects. However, some problems were reported in both cases and should be addressed.     

突发性背景噪声的修正计算分析

噪声测量过程中蝗受背景噪声的影响,而对于突发性背景噪声因其重现性差,实际操作上的“非同时性”给背景噪声的测量结果及修正均带来一些失准问题。为此对突发性背景噪声的校正问题提出初步建议。     

环境影响预测中基准值问题的探讨

鉴于目前环境影响预测中基准值取法存在的问题,提出了结合目前通用做法与灰色预测的灰靶方案,该方案使得环境影响预测结果在一定范围内变化,从而更为切合评价实际。     

区域空气自动监测数据审核方法与制度的探索

区域空气自动监测网络地理分布范围大、系统仪器设备众多、监测数据以海量计,如何对数据进行审核是一个值得关注的问题.以粤港珠江三角洲区域空气监测网络的实践为例,探讨了区域空气自动监测的数据审核方法与制度.     

区域环境风险评估研究进展

简述了区域环境风险及区域环境风险评估的内涵,以及国内外区域环境风险评估研究发展进程及现状,指出了现阶段区域环境风险评估存在的问题,提出应重点开展区域环境风险发生机理、定量表征区域环境风险方法等研究的展望。     

大气环境数据分析预测方法对比研究

以西安市2006年9月27日至2008年5月3日每日的SO2平均浓度时间序列为例,应用时间序列分析对前555个数据进行拟合,得到合适的时间序列模型ARIMA(1,1,2);利用神经网络中的BP神经网络和RBF神经网络对同样的样本进行训练,用这三种方法对2008年4月4日至2008年5月3日的SO2日均浓度值进行了预测,并用同样的方法分析预测了同期PM10日均浓度值,最后比较了它们的预测效果。结果表明,利用这三种方法进行浓度预测都是可行的,其中RBF神经网络法的预测误差最小,效果最好。