A Global Model Tracking Water, Nitrogen, and Land Inputs and Virtual Transfers from Industrialized Meat Production and Trade

Rising populations and incomes throughout the world have boosted meat demand by over 75% in the last 20years, intensifying pressures on production systems and the natural resources to which they are linked. As a growing proportion of global meat production is traded, the environmental impacts of production become increasingly separated from where the meat is consumed. In this paper, we quantify the use of three important resources associated with industrial livestock production and trade—water, land, and nitrogen—using a country-specific model that combines trade, agronomic, biogeochemical, and hydrological data. Our model focuses on pigs and chickens, as these animals are raised predominantly in intensive systems using concentrated, compound feeds. The results describe the geographical patterns of environmental resource use due to meat production, trade, and consumption. We show that US feed, animal, and meat destined for export require almost as much nitrogen and land, and 20% more water, than products destined for domestic consumption. Model results also demonstrate that among various production factors, improvements in crop yields and animal feed conversion efficiencies result in the most significant reductions in environmental harm. By explicitly tracking the externalities of meat production, we hope to bolster suppliers’ accountability and provide better information to meat consumers.

基于OSHMS的煤矿模糊综合安全评价管理模型的建立

针对目前我国煤矿企业安全管理现状,以一种全新的思路结合职业安全健康管理体系(OSHMS)的系统化体系结构及其先进之处,以预防为主,持续改进为动力,建立了基于生产过程的绩效测量、人员职责分配、运行控制和风险管理为核心的4个主要因素的安全评价管理模型;并以此为指导建立安全评价指标体系框架,运用模糊综合安全评价的方法对指标体系进行合成;最后,结合矿井生产过程中的供电系统,对淮南潘三矿现场进行实例应用,证明其可行性。该管理模型对煤矿企业安全管理有推广和借鉴意义,可望为煤矿企业通过安全管理实现科技兴安提供一种更可靠,更有效的安全管理方法。     

江苏省危险化学品生产状况调查分析及监管对策

根据《危险化学品名录》,分析江苏省取得危险化学品安全生产许可证的1774家企业的化学品种类、数量、生产企业类型分布情况.结果表明,江苏省危险化学品生产企业在地域分布上苏南多于苏北;化工、建材行业的危险化学品生产企业所占比例较高;危险化学品涉及除爆炸品外的6大类,达3 790种,以生产易燃液体的企业数目为最多;有31家企业生产10种以上危险化学品.笔者建议,通过评估摸清企业安全生产状况,严格控制危险化学品企业安全生产许可证发放,实现危险化学品运输企业的动态管理,建立安全监测预警技术平台.     

清洁生产与ISO14000环境管理体系关系的初探

从ISO14000环境管理体系与清洁生产两者产生的背景及涵义出发,讨论了两者的同一性和差异性,提出了在21世纪的新形势下,把清洁生产与ISO14000两者有机的结合,是实现可持续发展的重要手段。     

推行清洁生产 预防工业污染

推行清洁生产是环境保护政策政策的发展趋势,是协调经济发展与环境保护的重要对策。文章综述了末端治理存在的种种弊端,提出了实现清洁生产的主要途径。     

基于产生来源的固体废物鉴别研究

通过对美国、欧盟和日本的固体废物定义和范围,以及已完成的固体废物鉴别实例的研究,指出固体废物鉴别的关键点在于产生来源分析。提出依据产生来源,固体废物可以分为丧失原有使用价值的物质、生产过程中产生的副产物类物质、环境治理和污染控制过程中产生的物质、其他类物质4大类。如果待鉴别物质的产生来源属于该4大产生来源中的任何一类,则其属于固体废物。     

Free market ideology and deregulation in Colorado’s oil fields: Evidence for triple movement activism?

Unconventional oil and gas extraction (UOGE) has spurred an unprecedented boom in onshore production in the US. Despite a surge in related research, a void exists regarding inquiries into policy outcomes and perceptions. To address this, support for federal regulatory exemptions for UOGE is examined using survey data collected in 2015 from two Northern Colorado communities. Current regulatory exemptions for UOGE can be understood as components of broader societal processes of neoliberalization. Free market ideology increases public support for federal regulatory exemptions for UOGE. Perceived negative impacts do not necessarily drive people to support increased federal regulation. Utilizing neo-Polanyian theory, interaction between free market ideology and perceived negative impacts is explored. Free market ideology appears to moderate people’s views of regulation: increasing the effect of perceived negative impacts while simultaneously increasing support for deregulation. To conclude, the ways in which free market ideology might normalize the impacts of UOGE activity are discussed.     

Vetoing the future: political constraints and renewable energy

Despite the increased importance of and attention to renewable energy, its share in the overall energy mix has varied significantly across countries and over time. There are many determinants of clean energy transitions; this study focuses on political constraints. Here it is argued that political systems that have fewer political constraints have fewer access points through which powerful status quo veto players can slow the progress of clean energy reforms. To test the theory, a hierarchical model is applied on a dataset of 125 countries over four decades. The results provide significant support for the theory. Furthermore, the effects for political constraints hold even when we distinguish between hydro and non-hydro renewable sources and control for regime type. This study builds on research that recognizes the importance of politics in understanding the challenges and opportunities of clean energy reform.     

Quantity and biochemical composition of sedimentary organic matter around offshore gas extraction platforms of the Adriatic Sea

Gas platforms can exert relevant effects on various ecosystem properties of the hosting area, modifying patterns of productivity and particle sedimentation. We hypothesised that the presence of gas platforms is associated with higher organic matter (OM) contents and we tested the null hypothesis by which benthic trophic conditions do not vary significantly among gas structures with different architectural characteristics. To test these hypotheses, we investigated sedimentary OM contents and biochemical composition at increasing distance from two distinct structures: one subsea well-site and one four-leg platform (FLP). We found that sediments surrounding the structures were characterised by similar OM contents, but different biochemical compositions, and that sedimentary OM compositional change with increasing distance from the structure is confirmed only at the FLP. These results suggest that: (i) benthic eutrophication is not consistent among different structures; (ii) OM biochemical composition changes are more evident than those in OM quantity; and (iii) the effect, wherever present, disappears at a very narrow distance from the platform. As biochemical composition of OM reflects food availability for benthic organisms, our results suggest that the enrichment of macrozoobenthic communities around these structures could be the consequence of increased nutritional quality of resources.     

Isotopic composition (C & N) of the suspended particles and N uptake by phytoplankton in a shallow tropical coastal lagoon

The spatial distribution of the C/N ratios and variations in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of suspended particulate matter were used to characterise their source in Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, Chilika, India. In addition, the significance of re-mineralised nutrients in the primary productivity of the shallow lagoon was also determined through quantification of the subsurface nitrogen uptake conditions at two relatively stable locations in the lagoon. The results indicated that the influence of terrestrial organic matter was the maximum in the northern sector and was relatively limited at the central and southern part of the lagoon. In situ ¹⁵N uptake experiments (daytime) under biogeochemically stable conditions revealed that the N uptake by phytoplankton ranged between 0.24 and 1.01?mM?m^?3?h^?1 during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. New production and regenerated production in the shallow lagoon was also estimated by calculating f-ratios (ratio of nitrate assimilation by phytoplankton to total nitrogenous nutrient assimilation, have been estimated), which varied from 0.52 in the post-monsoon to 0.38 in the pre-monsoon. Lowering of the f-ratio from post- to pre-monsoon indicated a dominance of mineralisation over the new production.