Does trade openness improve environmental quality?

The literature on trade openness, economic development, and the environment is largely inconclusive about the environmental consequences of trade. This study treats trade and income as endogenous and estimates the overall impact of trade openness on environmental quality using the instrumental variables technique. We find that whether or not trade has a beneficial effect on the environment varies depending on the pollutant and the country. Trade is found to benefit the environment in OECD countries. It has detrimental effects, however, on sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in non-OECD countries, although it does lower biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) emissions in these countries. We also find the impact is large in the long term, after the dynamic adjustment process, although it is small in the short term.     

综采工作面安全性评价的逼近理想解(TOPSIS)方法

基于熵权的TOPSIS(逼近理想解的排序方法)方法是一种新的安全性评价方法,该方法以灰熵理论确定评价指标的权重———熵权,从而避免低层次多因素权重确定的主观性。以评价对象与理想解和负理想解的距离确定的相对接近度作为评价准则,避免了评价方法的主观性。通过对平顶山煤业集团有限责任公司六矿综采工作面安全性进行的评价,指出综采工作面安全管理中存在的问题,并提出相应的改进措施。理论与实例表明,该方法较其他方法更加客观,更易于操作,结果也更符合生产实际。     

Water-Quality Monitoring and Biological Integrity Assessment in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida: Status, Trends, and Loadings (1988–1994)

a production in the central, south central, and the south segments of the lagoon. In a system as large and complex as the lagoon, N and P limitations are potentially subject to significant spatial and temporal variability. Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TN) was higher in the north (1.25 mg/liter) and lower in the south (0.89 mg/liter). The reverse pattern was observed for total P (TP), i.e., lowest in the north (0.03 mg/liter) and highest at the south (0.14 mg/liter) ends of the IRL. This increased P concentration in the SIRL appears to have a significantly large effect on chlorophyll a production compared with the other segments, as indicated by stepwise regression statistics. This relationship can be expressed as follows: South IRL [chlorophyll a] =−8.52 + 162.41 [orthophosphate] + 7.86 [total nitrogen] + 0.38 [turbidity]; R ²= 0.98**.     

GIS-Based Support Tool System for Decision-Making Regarding Local Forest Protection: Illustrations from Orissa,India

A support tool system comprising risk and priority analyses was illustrated in a geographical information system environment and also tested with data from two forest protection areas for comparison of the system output. The system is recommended as a management monitoring tool for areas where village forest protection at a local level is taking place. The geographical area in the eastern part of India is subject to scarcity of forest resources and is representative in the context of widespread occurrence of local forest protection. Data used were topography, hectares protected, population census, distance to forest and other villages, degree of forest regeneration, presence of plantations, age of protection, surrounding forest resources, and population mix. Methods used were digitizing information for the systems' different layers, analyses of satellite information, field work, gathering of local information, and the application of five risk/priority analyses: erosion, ecological and institutional sustainability, conflict, and degree of dependency. Questions asked were how the different analyses should be interpreted and how the system could be kept updated. The results show that the system needs resource-demanding and field assistance to be kept dynamic. The system is also dependent on the interpretations of the analyses. The limits or levels of assistance for forest management depend on the resources available. The system illustrates how a tool can be utilized for decisions regarding input of resources. It can further be very useful in defining and comparing different areas in order to detect areas in need of assistance and the type of help needed.     

Households’ recycling efforts

Households’ recycling effort is often argued to be of an insignificant size. It is also frequently argued that this contribution, if significant, is not a cost to households, since it is voluntary. Thus households’ use of time and energy are frequently disregarded in cost-benefit analyses of stricter recycling targets. In this survey, based on 1162 interviews, we find that sorting at source involves significant extra use of time and energy in the households. On average, each of those asked reported that they use close to half an hour a week for cleaning, sorting and transporting recyclable waste. On average, 185 h is used per tonne of waste. Four out of ten reported that they use warm or hot water to clean the materials. When investigating the motives for sorting waste, we find that many perceive sorting as mandatory, while some in fact find it a pleasant activity in itself. Moral motives for sorting at source are also widespread. A majority would prefer that a company took over the sorting if this were possible, and on average, the respondents are willing to pay US$ 20/year for this service.     

深圳荔枝湖富营养化成因和总磷模型分析

通过9个月水质连续监测,分析了深圳荔枝湖污染来源和负荷.外源污染主要来自雨水管网溢流,降雨后湖水水质急剧恶化,TP浓度可高达0.347 mg/L.底泥释放试验表明,总氮第1周平均释放速率为0.036 8 g,(m2·d),磷源在好氧条件下释放较少.并建立荔枝湖四湖总磷串联模型,通过2组实测数据进行校验,计算结果和实测值吻合;在此基础上,用模型分析,设计初始条件下,采用组合治理工艺每天连续运行24 h,则需要2.18 d可将荔枝湖各湖TP浓度恢复为0.1 mg/L以下,达Ⅳ类地表水标准.     

塔里木河下游应急输水前后胡杨年轮生长差异

1972年塔里木河下游大西海子水库建成,下游365km河道彻底断流。为拯救沿河植被,2000年5月启动了塔里木河下游应急输水工程,迄今已经完成了7次应急输水。文章通过对塔里木河中游英巴扎和下游输水河畔英苏、喀尔达依、阿拉干断面胡杨(Populus euphratica)一级枝年轮取样调查,运用统计方法比较不同离河距离输水前后胡杨生长量差异的大小,分析了下游应急输水河畔胡杨种群对输水的响应。结果表明:1)英苏断面和喀尔达依断面在离河0~1000m输水前后胡杨生长量差异极显著。阿拉干断面在离河0~300m输水前后胡杨生长量差异极显著,离河300~700m生长量差异显著,700~1000m生长量差异不显著。由输水前后胡杨年轮生长量均值差可得,同一断面不同离河距胡杨年均生长量随离河距增大而降低。2)输水后下游3个调查断面在离河0~300m胡杨生长量增长由大到小顺序为:喀尔达依>英苏>阿拉干;离河300~700m由大到小顺序为:喀尔达依>阿拉干>英苏。3)以中游胡杨同年生长量作为参照对下游胡杨生长量进行相关比较的结果表明:应急输水前输水河畔各离河距离胡杨生长量均小于中游参照河段的生长量。应急输水后,输水河畔离河0~300m生长量已超过中游的生长量;离河300~700m输水河畔的生长量接近中游生长量;离河700~1000m生长量小于中游参照河段生长量,应急输水明显地促进了胡杨生长。     

洛阳市城市生活垃圾成份分析

对洛阳市城市生活垃圾按季节进行了分类，分析了垃圾中碳、硫、挥发分、灰分及水分的含量，测定了垃圾发热量及部分化学元素的含量，为城市生活垃圾的处理提供了科学数据。     

A Landscape Approach to Biodiversity Conservation of Sacred Groves in the Western Ghats of India

Abstract:  Although sacred groves are important for conservation in India, the landscape that surrounds them has a vital influence on biodiversity within them. Research has focused on tree diversity inside these forest patches. In a coffee-growing region of the Western Ghats, however, landscape outside sacred groves is also tree covered because planters have retained native trees to provide shade for coffee plants. We examined the diversity of trees, birds, and macrofungi at 58 sites—10 forest-reserve sites, 25 sacred groves, and 23 coffee plantations— in Kodagu district. We measured landscape composition and configuration around each site with a geographic information system. To identify factors associated with diversity we constructed multivariate models by using a decision-tree technique. The conventional measures of landscape fragmentation such as patch size did not influence species richness. Distance of sacred groves from the forest reserve had a weak influence. The measures of landscape structure (e.g., tree cover in the surroundings) and stand structure (e.g., variability in canopy height) contributed to the variation in species richness explained by multivariate models. We suggest that biodiversity present within sacred groves has been influenced by native tree cover in the surrounding landscape. To conserve this biodiversity the integrity of the tree-covered landscape matrix will need to be conserved.     

Light Stability of Oriental Lacquer Films Irradiated by a Fluorescent Lamp

Oriental lacquer film was prepared and exposed to a fluorescent lamp. The color difference and gloss of the surface of the film decreased compared to those of film kept in a dark place by irradiation with the fluorescent light. The percentage of discoloration was 7.0% on a relative scale with an irradiation of 3600 h. The surface of the film was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The oxygen content of the surface increased considerably with the decrease in triene groups with exposure time. These changes were also observed when the film was exposed in a glass or acrylic plate box. The change of the above properties was not observed when the film was kept in a dark place for more than 4800 h. The results suggest that oriental lacquer film deteriorates even under irradiation with visible light.