中国水权配置效率分析

基于整个社会的视角,对水权交易效率进行公理化分析,为水权交易的深入研究奠定基础.首先,提出分析的假设条件,定义水权配置效率,该效率满足完备性、传递性公理.其次,定义水权边际价值、总价值,提出水权边际价值递减规律.再次,给出水权配置的帕累托最优定义,提出帕累托最优时水权配置状态的定理,并论证水权的帕累托配置是稳定的水权配置状态.根据极限理论,给出水权配置序列收敛于帕累托最优配置的定义,论证了在现实水权信息不对称的情况下,只有通过水权交易重新配置水权才能逼近水权配置的最优状态--帕累托配置,而依靠行政配置无法实现.最后,采用本文理论分析我国水权交易现状,指出由于我国目前水权交易成本过高,水权配置向帕累托逼近的速度慢,水权配置无法达到帕累托最优.随着我国水权交易制度的日趋完善,水权配置将达到帕累托最优,从而实现水资源的充分利用.     

协调中国环境污染与经济增长冲突的路径研究——基于环境退化成本的分析

选取我国1990-2009年相关数据,首先对环境遥化成本进行估计,发现我国环境退化成本呈现不断上升的趋势,而水污染、空气污染是导致环境退化成本产生的主要原因.其次,以环境退化成本作为污染指标,结合环境库兹涅茨曲线的特征,并以能否有效地将污染指标降低到相对较低的水平,作为政策路径选择的标准,分析协调我国环境污染与经济增长冲突的路径.实证研究结果表明:在不考虑政策因素的影响下,我国目前国内生产总值水平仍处在环境库兹涅茨曲线拐点的左端,经济持续增长有可能导致环境状况进一步恶化;多项环境治理政策的同步实施,致使个别政策出现低效率甚至是无效率;在当前产出水平条件下,既要保证经济平稳增长,又要降低环境退化成本,政策路径的选择首先应注重产业结构的调整,适当保持第二产业比重,但在发展第三产业的过程中,应加大对污染企业的监管与治理,其次是调整国际贸易进出口比例,积极扩大出口,而采用吸引外商直接投资与加大污染治理投资等政策在我国现阶段均不能有效降低环境退化成本.     

中国低碳发展的国际比较:世界贸易格局

近年来随着我国经济的持续平稳快速发展,与之相伴随的碳排放总量持续攀升,中国也因此被推上世界碳减排的风口浪尖.为了明确中国碳排放的国际地位,本文从世界贸易格局视角对中国的碳排放现状进行了国际比较研究.首先分析研究了我国2007年面临的碳排放国际形势,继而对我国的出口贸易形势进行了国际比较,最后采用GDP比例法和类推法对我国商品出口隐含的碳排放进行了初步测算,并分析了剔除出口贸易影响后的我国碳排放情况.通过研究认为:①出口贸易对我国的碳排放总量影响巨大,我国的商品出口占GDP比例长期维持在20%以上,近几年高峰值超过36%;②在当前的世界贸易格局、国际分工体系下,采用“生产者责任体系”碳排放测算模式大大高估了中国的碳排放水平,中国的碳排放总量中有34-60%是为他国服务而产生;③中国在当前世界贸易格局和国际分工体系中的地位使得中国在目前的碳排放测算模式下必然“产生较高的碳排放”;④世界各国应该重新审视和正确认识中国的“高”碳排放形势,中国为世界各国提供商品服务而产生的碳排放不应该受到指责.     

Policy implementation of the Republic Act (RA) No. 9003 in the Philippines: A case study of Cebu city

Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) is considered to be one of the most serious environmental issues in the Philippines. The annual waste generation was estimated at 10.6 million tonnes in 2012 and this is expected to double in 2025. The Republic Act (RA) No. 9003, widely known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, provides the required policy framework, institutional mechanisms and mandate to the Local Government Units (LGUs) to achieve 25% waste reduction target through establishing an integrated solid waste management plan based on the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycling). Although the initial impact of the LGUs is still very limited in implementing the national mandate, this article highlights the successful experiences of Cebu, the second largest city in the Philippines, in reducing its MSW generation by more than 30% in the past three years. This study also explores the implementation process, innovative actions taken by the Cebu City Government in implementing the national mandate at local level and identifies the factors that influence the policy implementation. The findings suggest that the impacts of the national mandate can be achieved if the LGUs have the high degree of political commitment, planning and development of effective local strategies in a collaborative manner to meet with local conditions, partnership building with other stakeholders, capacity development, adequate financing and incentives, and in the close monitoring and evaluation of performance.     

Estimating the extent and structure of trade in horticultural orchids via social media

The wildlife trade is a lucrative industry involving thousands of animal and plant species. The increasing use of the internet for both legal and illegal wildlife trade is well documented, but there is evidence that trade may be emerging on new online technologies such as social media. Using the orchid trade as a case study, we conducted the first systematic survey of wildlife trade on an international social‐media website. We focused on themed forums (groups), where people with similar interests can interact by uploading images or text (posts) that are visible to other group members. We used social‐network analysis to examine the ties between 150 of these orchid‐themed groups to determine the structure of the network. We found 4 communities of closely linked groups based around shared language. Most trade occurred in a community that consisted of English‐speaking and Southeast Asian groups. In addition to the network analysis, we randomly sampled 30 groups from the whole network to assess the prevalence of trade in cultivated and wild plants. Of 55,805 posts recorded over 12 weeks, 8.9% contained plants for sale, and 22–46% of these posts pertained to wild‐collected orchids. Although total numbers of posts about trade were relatively small, the large proportion of posts advertising wild orchids for sale supports calls for better monitoring of social media for trade in wild‐collected plants.     

Preparation and performance of arsenate (V) adsorbents derived from concrete wastes

Solid adsorbent materials, prepared from waste cement powder and concrete sludge were assessed for removal of arsenic in the form of arsenic (As(V)) from water. All the materials exhibited arsenic removal capacity when added to distilled water containing 10–700 mg/L arsenic. The arsenic removal isotherms were expressed by the Langmuir type equations, and the highest removal capacity was observed for the adsorbent prepared from concrete sludge with heat treatment at 105 °C, the maximum removal capacity being 175 mg-As(V)/g. Based on changes in arsenic and calcium ion concentrations, and solution pH, the removal mechanism for arsenic was considered to involve the precipitation of calcium arsenate, Ca₃(AsO₄)₂. The enhanced removal of arsenic for the adsorbent prepared from concrete sludge with heat treatment was thought to reflect ion exchange by ettringite. The prepared adsorbents, derived from waste cement and concrete using simple procedures, may offer a cost effective approach for arsenic removal and clean-up of contaminated waters, especially in developing countries.     

A comparative assessment of waste incinerators in the UK

The uptake in Europe of Energy from Waste (EfW) incinerator plants has increased rapidly in recent years. In the UK, 25 municipal waste incinerators with energy recovery are now in operation; however, their waste supply chains and business practices vary significantly. With over a hundred more plant developments being considered it is important to establish best business practices for ensuring efficient environmental and operational performance. By reviewing the 25 plants we identify four suitable case study plants to compare technologies (moving grate, fluidised bed and rotary kiln), plant economics and operations. Using data collected from annual reports and through interviews and site visits we provide recommendations for improving the supply chain for waste incinerators and highlight the current issues and challenges faced by the industry. We find that plants using moving grate have a high availability of 87–92%. However, compared to the fluidised bed and rotary kiln, quantities of bottom ash and emissions of hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide are high. The uptake of integrated recycling practices, combined heat and power, and post incineration non-ferrous metal collections needs to be increased among EfW incinerators in the UK. We conclude that one of the major difficulties encountered by waste facilities is the appropriate selection of technology, capacity, site, waste suppliers and heat consumers. This study will be of particular value to EfW plant developers, government authorities and researchers working within the sector of waste management.     

Structuring Decisions for Managing Threatened and Endangered Species in a Changing Climate

The management of endangered species under climate change is a challenging and often controversial task that incorporates input from a variety of different environmental, economic, social, and political interests. Yet many listing and recovery decisions for endangered species unfold on an ad hoc basis without reference to decision‐aiding approaches that can improve the quality of management choices. Unlike many treatments of this issue, which consider endangered species management a science‐based problem, we suggest that a clear decision‐making process is equally necessary. In the face of new threats due to climate change, managers’ choices about endangered species require closely linked analyses and deliberations that identify key objectives and develop measurable attributes, generate and compare management alternatives, estimate expected consequences and key sources of uncertainty, and clarify trade‐offs across different dimensions of value. Several recent cases of endangered species conservation decisions illustrate our proposed decision‐focused approach, including Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) recovery framework development, Cultus Lake sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) management, and Upper Columbia River white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) recovery planning. Estructuración de Decisiones para Manejar Especies Amenazadas y en Peligro en un Clima Cambiante     

A Pluralist–Expressivist Critique of the Pet Trade

Elizabeth Anderson’s “pluralist–expressivist” value theory, an alternative to the understanding of value and rationality underlying the “rational actor” model of human behavior, provides rich resources for addressing questions of environmental and animal ethics. It is particularly well-suited to help us think about the ethics of commodification, as I demonstrate in this critique of the pet trade. I argue that Anderson’s approach identifies the proper grounds for criticizing the commodification of animals, and directs our attention to the importance of maintaining social practices and institutions that respect the social meanings of animals. Her theory alone, however, does not adequately address the role of the state in this project. Drawing on social contract theory to fill this gap, I conclude that the state’s role in regulating the pet trade should be limited to ensuring the welfare of animals in the stream of commerce, not prohibiting their mass marketing altogether.     

A preliminary investigation into the physical and chemical properties of biomass ashes used as aggregate fillers for bituminous mixtures

Fly and bottom ashes are the main by-products arising from the combustion of solid biomass. Since the production of energy from this source is increasing, the processing and disposal of the resulting ashes has become an environmental and economic issue. Such ashes are of interest as a construction material because they are composed of very fine particles similar to fillers normally employed in bituminous and cementitious mixtures. This research investigates the potential use of ash from biomass as filler in bituminous mixtures. The morphological, physical and chemical characteristics of 21 different ashes and two traditional fillers (calcium carbonate and “recovered” plant filler) were evaluated and discussed. Leaching tests, performed in order to quantify the release of pollutants, revealed that five ashes do not comply with the Italian environmental re-use limits. Experimental results show a wide range of values for almost all the investigated properties and a low correlation with biomass type in terms of origin and chemical composition. Furthermore, sieving and milling processes were found to improve the properties of the raw material in terms of grading and sample porosity. The effectiveness of these treatments and the low content of organic matter and harmful fines suggest that most of the biomass ashes investigated may be regarded as potential replacements for natural filler in bituminous mixtures.