Environmental disasters,migration and displacement. Insights and developments from L’Aquila's case

This paper analyses the environmentally-induced migration and displacement resulting from L’Aquila's earthquake of 2009. After a general critical overview of the social science literature on this topic, the main changes in the migration system are analysed looking at the roots and trajectories of the forced human displacement that followed the earthquake, and reflecting on the challenges related to post-earthquake demographic movements and post-disaster resettlement. Through the analysis of the pre disaster (2002–2008) and recovery period (2009–2013) data, this paper offers a general model of how environmental disaster might affect migration and displacement and suggests the main challenges related to the post-disaster governance. Relying on ISTAT data on internal migration in Italy this paper argues that the post-seismic recovery period is characterized by a strong increase of out-flows from L’Aquila to other provinces, within the Abruzzo region and outside it, in particular toward the closest regions (Latium, Campania).     

Assessing water ecosystem services for water resource management

Ecosystem service concepts can offer a valuable approach for linking human and nature, and arguments for the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems. Despite an increasing interest in the topic, the application of these concepts for water resource management has been hampered by the lack of practical definitions and methodologies. In this study we review and analyse the current literature and propose an approach for assessing and valuing ecosystem services in the context of water management. In particular, to study the link between multiple pressures, ecological status and delivery of ecosystem services in aquatic ecosystems under different scenarios of measures or future changes. This is of interest for the development of River Basin Management Plans under the EU Water Framework Directive. We provide a list of proxies/indicators of natural capacity, actual flow and social benefit for the biophysical assessment of the ecosystem services. We advocate the use of indicators of sustainability, combining information on capacity and flow of services. We also suggest methods for economic valuation of aquatic ecosystem for each service and spatial scale of application. We argue that biophysical assessment and economic valuation should be conducted jointly to account for the different values of ecosystem services (ecologic, social and economic) and to strengthen the recognition of human dependency on nature. The proposed approach can be used for assessing the benefits of conservation and restoration of aquatic ecosystems in the implementation of the EU water policy.     

贸易、外商直接投资、经济增长与环境污染

选取1990—2002年中国30个省市贸易、外商直接投资(FDI)、经济和环境相关数据，从定性和定量描述的角度探讨贸易、FDI对我国环境库兹涅茨曲线(ECK)的影响。研究表明：贸易对中国的ECK没有直接影响。但考虑到贸易对经济增长的贡献，以及它在引进先进污染防治技术和环境管理思想方法方面的积极作用，积极发展对外贸易将有助于改善我国经济增长带来的环境污染问题。另一方面。FDI与污染物排放之间呈现出显著的正相关关系。在中国接受经济全球化影响的过程中，由于部分地区急于吸引外资，加之环境管理体系的不完善，外商直接投资在某些方面对我国环境造成了一定的负面影响。     

The transition in Dutch water management

Over the past decades, the Dutch people have been confronted with severe water-related problems, which are the result of an unsustainable water system, arising from human interventions in the physical infrastructure of the water system and the water management style. The claims of housing, industry, infrastructure and agriculture have resulted in increasing pressure on the water system. The continuous subsidence of soil and climate change has put pressure on the land. Hence, the nature and magnitude of water-related problems have changed. Longitudinal research of relevant national policy documents reveals that the water management regime has changed its water management style over the past 30 years from a technocratic scientific style towards an integral and participatory style. We have investigated if the historical development in Dutch Water management can be characterized as a transition. Based on longitudinal research through an integrated systems analysis, document research and expert interviews, we have reconstructed the historical narrative by using the transition concepts of multi-level and multi-phase. This research indicates that the shift in Dutch Water management can be characterized as a transition. This transition is currently in the take-off stage and near the acceleration stage. This is a crucial stage as long as the considerable gap between the strategic macro-vision and the practical implementation at the micro-level remains. As long as these levels are not compatible (modulation), the transition will not be completed successfully. Transition management as multi-level governance model should therefore be adopted to facilitate the modulation.     

南水北调中线水源地不同植被类型坡地土壤水分特征研究

为了解不同植被类型土壤水资源的变化规律，选择南水北调中线水源区宁陕县寨沟区域典型植被针阔混交林、针叶林、板栗林、灌木林、荒坡草地和坡耕地为研究对象，通过样地调查与实验分析的方法对其土壤水分物理特征及有机质含量进行测定研究。结果表明，各种有林地的土壤容重、孔隙度和有机质等理化特征均优于荒坡和坡耕地；针阔混交林土壤含水量最高，蓄水能力明显好于其它植被类型；在垂直剖面上，各种植被类型坡地土壤含水量和饱和蓄水量随土壤深度的增加基本呈递减趋势，但有林地下降幅度较大，表层含水量明显高于荒坡与坡耕地表层。由此可见，在涵养水源方面，针阔混交林最好，针叶林、板栗林与灌木林次之，荒坡与坡耕地较差。     

中国的能源工业及其污染防治

能源工业是我国的基础工业,也是经济发展的战略重点,同时又是重要的污染源。由于我国能源以煤炭为主,所以能源工业的污染主要是煤的开采利用带来的。因此,应当把煤炭开采、利用造成的污染作为防治重点,从节能降耗、提高燃烧效率、改善能源结构、消除煤炭开采、利用中产生的污染等几个方面入手,从根本上解决能源工业的环境问题,努力处理好经济发展和环境保护的关系,实现能源与环境的协调发展和经济的持续增长。     

基于高程的环境库兹涅茨曲线实证分析

本文利用GIS的空间分析技术。以高程带为取样单元。研究在高程带上三种主要的大气污染物与经济发展之间的定量关系。以重庆市为例,验证环境库兹涅茨在高程上是否存在。研究结果发现。污染物浓度随高程的增加呈非单调下降的趋势。人均GDP随高程的增加先增大后减小。在高程上。污染物浓度与经济发展之间的关系和两者在时间序列和国别（或地区）序列上环境库兹涅茨曲线研究的结论相似。其中。TSP和NOx分别与人均GDP之间呈较稳定的呈“N”形和饲“U”形关系。受人口密度和高程影响较大；而SO2与人均GDP之间关系不稳定。     

调水工程生态补偿的分阶段推进战略

水质安全是调水工程顺利实施的关键,为此调水区背负巨大的调水工程的外部经济成本和社会发展代价,必须通过生态补偿政策进行内部化,然而调水工程涉及的范围广、时间长、利益主体多、资金投入大,难以通过一种手段或者现有某种方式建立长效的生态补偿机制。文章从调水工程生态补偿政策建立的目标、标准、责任分担与利益共享、补偿方式角度分析了生态补偿现状及存在的问题,提出了调水工程生态补偿的分阶段推进战略总体思路与实施构想,重点分析了各阶段生态补偿政策的制定标准和要求,为中线调水工程生态补偿政策制定提供了技术支持。     

Recent advances in thin film composites membranes for brackish groundwater treatment with critical focus on Saskatchewan water sources

Drinking water scarcity is an ever-increasing global concern. This issue appears as a greater threat to the countries with no access to sea water resources or rivers, since their potential water resources are only limited to ground waters only. There are serious concerns with the treatment of ground water resources, including landfill leachates, agricultural contaminations (pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers), and rural contaminations. Membrane separation has been proved to be the governing technology in water and wastewater treatment plants, as these methods are responsible for more than half of the market share of the world's desalination capacity. This study intends to offer a holistic view of the groundwater contamination with specific focus on Saskatchewan province in Canada, and the recent efforts in the groundwater treatment using thin film composite membrane technology. This study begins with an introduction of the general aspects of ground water and membrane separation, polluting agents, and their sources. It is followed by a discussion of Saskatchewan's groundwater status and various issues. Furthermore, the recent research that became available since 2010 is reviewed in details and the results are summarized with respect to purification efficiency. Different affecting parameters in a groundwater-thin film composite system are synthesized and an in-depth overview is presented.     

Water incubation-induced fluctuating release of heavy metals in two smelter-contaminated soils

The soil moisture regime can affect the release of heavy metals in soil. In the previous studies, slightly polluted soils or artificially contaminated soil samples were considered to investigate the effect of soil moisture. We used highly smelter-contaminated and aged soils to study the release of typical heavy metals(Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) induced by water incubation in batch experiments with characterization via speciation and X-ray diffraction analyses(XRD). The results show that the leachable concentrations of the heavy metals increased slightly in the first 30 days, decreased drastically between 30 and 90 days, and immobilized relatively constant thereafter. The fluctuation was ascribed to the changes of soil Eh and pH, the reductive dissolution of crystalline iron oxides, the formation of new amorphous iron oxides, the absorption of dissolved organic matter and the precipitation of metal sulfide. Speciation analysis indicated that a proportion of the soil heavy metals was transformed from an exchangeable fraction to a less labile fraction after water incubation. And the presence of a lead iron oxide phase and the peak increasing of zinc sulfide were observed via XRD analyses. Finally, water incubation restrained the release of heavy metals after 180 days of incubation, and reduced the leachability of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb by as much as 1.61%–7.21% for soil A and 0.43%–3.36% for soil B, respectively. The study findings have implications for the formulation of risk control and management strategies for heavy metals in smelter-contaminated soils.