Birthing Sphere

This paper tells the story of the initiation and first year of Sphere. It traces the history of how the project was started and its relationship to other major events of that time, principally the multi-donor Rwanda evaluation. The paper describes how the basic structure of the Sphere standards was agreed upon and discusses why some sectors were eventually left out of the standards. Tensions and public disagreements between the agencies that created Sphere are discussed, along with the manner in which the chosen working processes contributed to the successful publication of the Sphere standards. We show how the process of policy formulation, which led up to the publication of the first edition of the Sphere standards, was as dependent upon the ability of the project team to work opportunistically as it was upon the application of agency principles. Finally the paper reflects upon the success of Sphere and lessons that can be learned from this early Sphere process.     

FLOW VARIABLE DISCHARGE PERMITS1

ABSTRACT: Current approaches to calculating discharge limitations and the use and intent of water quality standards are examined. Flow variable discharge permits, in which the amount of pollutant that may be discharged is based on the magnitude of the flow in the stream, are introduced as an alternative permit strategy that could reduce the cost of pollution control in certain instances while still meeting in-stream water quality objectives. Several possible designs of flow variable discharge permits are presented to show the flexibility of the concept; for example, permits can be based on instantaneous flows, seasonal flows, trigger values, and ranges of flows.     

商务英语教学中商务文化意识的培养

商务英语作为专门用途英语，蕴含着丰富的商务文化，包括不同国家的商务传统习俗，商务礼仪习惯等。商务英语教学的最终目标是培养学生在商务环境下的跨文化能力。本文强调了商务文化意识培养的重要性，通过分析商务活动中常见的商务文化冲突和母语文化负迁移导致的语用失误，探讨了教学中商务文化意识培养的策略。     

Tracing operational conditions for the Ecologically Sustainable Economic Development: the Pareto optimality and the preservation of the biological crucial levels

The operational designing of Environmentally Sustainable Economic Development (ESED) emerges as an urgent and demanding task. Even though ESED has paved the way for thought-provoking and constructive scientific dialogue, appeal for designing an operational ESED is still lagging behind the needs of contemporary societies, leaving much to be desired. With this in mind, the present paper will aim at delineating principles for the operational application of ESED. First, the preservation of crucial properties of environmental functions and ecosystems, emerges as a prime condition of ESED. The second condition concerns the provision of the economic process with sufficient natural inputs; in this context, the paper intends to trace certain operational tenets governing the use of natural resources. Finally, the appropriate institutional settings for the operational design of ESED are traced. Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue     

大型商圈安全评价体系及案例研究

为整体评价大型商圈的安全性,结合公共安全科技三角形理论,从突发事件的危险性、承灾载体的脆弱性、应急能力3方面构建大型商圈安全评价指标体系,通过网络分析法和模糊综合评价法确定指标间权重系数,对大型商圈进行安全风险评价.结果表明:体系全面考虑了大型商圈安全风险影响因素及其内在关系,可为大型商圈安全评价体系构建和定量评估提供...     

苏北沿海地区农户耕地利用行为意愿及影响因素分析

随着快速城市化以及农村劳动力转移,长三角区域欠发达地区乡村耕地资源利用呈现新特征,从主体角度开展该区域耕地资源利用研究对乡村治理以及农业高质量发展具有重要影响。以江苏盐城和南通为例,通过问卷调查以及结构方程模型,分析农户耕地资源利用行为意向及影响因素。结果表明：苏北沿海地区不同耕地规模农户的耕地利用行为意向存在显著性差异。农户耕地资源利用行为意愿主要直接受到农户户主个人及家庭特征和耕地资源禀赋特征两个因素影响,政策认知以及技术与资金使用对其产生间接影响且程度较弱。苏北沿海地区乡村治理过程中亟需进一步开展农户分类管理与引导,促进耕地适度规模化经营,加强农户技能与政策培训,探索农业服务新模式,促进耕地资源精准管理、农业高质量发展以及乡村振兴等目标实现。     

人力资本对农户兼业行为及其离农决策的影响研究——基于家庭整体视角

农户兼业行为演化的实质是由家庭成员个体就业行为决策和家庭集体劳动分工决策共同决定的,而人力资本通过影响非农就业对农户兼业决策具有内生作用,但这种作用机制既包括农民个体层面,更涉及农户整体层面。基于家庭整体视角分析了农户人力资本的理论特性,提出了农户人力资本对家庭兼业行为及其离农决策存在双重影响效应的研究假设,在此基础上,运用长三角地区1036户农户调研数据进行了实证研究。结果表明,农户劳动成员平均人力资本数量水平提升和成员间人力资本结构差距缩小,对提升农户非农化兼业程度以及增强其主动离农意愿具有积极意义,其中农户人力资本结构效应对农户离农决策更为显著;进一步比较发现,教育和迁移人力资本对长三角兼业农户的非农化发展和离农意愿具有显著促进作用,而受不同因素影响,健康和以非农工龄为衡量的技能人力资本的作用效应总体却并不明显。文章认为,要把促进兼业农户人力资本发展作为推动其非农兼业升级与离农决策的立足之本,在当前农地征用补偿政策思路上,要从单纯重视对失地农户短期"经济补偿",向扶持家庭成员人力资本投资以增强其长期非农就业发展之"能力补偿"转变,进而构筑可持续生计保障。     

国家环境标准中挥发性有机物分析方法的研究进展

综述了我国不同介质中挥发性有机物(VOCs)的环境监测方法标准,介绍了样品采集和前处理、分析方法、质量保证与质量控制等技术内容,以及VOCs监测技术的研究进展。分析了国内VOCs监管控制的现状和重点需求,并在此基础上提出了健全VOCs环境标准体系、完善分类监管的优先控制物种清单、尽快实现VOCs监测工作的常态化、推广应用先进的VOCs监测技术等建议。     

生态系统价值核算指标体系研究

生态系统价值核算是开展生态系统保护成效评估的重要手段,也是支撑生态文明制度体系建设的关键技术之一.指标体系的设定是开展生态系统价值核算的重要前提和基础,但当前生态系统价值还缺少统一的核算指标,因此,在一定程度上制约了生态系统价值在生态系统管理与决策中的应用.在总结归纳当前生态系统价值相关指标体系的基础上,以服务于生态系统管理和相关绩效考核为目标,提出了包括生物生产性、人类收益性、保护成效性、实际发生性、实物度量性、数据可获性、持续更新性、非危害性在内的8项生态系统价值核算原则,筛选形成了包括7个功能类别、15个一级科目和26个二级科目的生态系统价值核算指标体系,并针对实物量达到一定数值才能形成服务的指标设定了核算基准.以厦门市为例探讨了这一指标体系的应用能力,其不仅包括了厦门市主要生态系统服务,而且体现了厦门市作为沿海旅游城市的区域特色.在此基础上,探索了开展生态系统价值统计核算的可能途径,主要包括建立生态系统价值统计核算公式,编制技术导则,开展培训、制定定期发布制度等,旨在为实现生态系统价值的业务核算及其应用提供技术支撑.      

环境标准在环境监理中的应用

介绍了环境标准的定义，分类和特点，并提出了环境监理中标准的应用原则及若干问题的处理办法。