化石燃料结构变化对大气中δ~(13)CO_2的影响

根据煤炭、石油和天然气等化石燃料的CO2排放量及其碳稳定同位素组成,用按比例叠加的方法逐年计算1860~1996年CO2化石燃料源的d13CO2(PDB),用简单全球碳循环模式研究该变化对大气d13CO2的影响,并将计算结果与CMDL近10年的监测数据进行对比.结果表明,化石燃料源的d13CO2在140年内下降了4.5,在碳循环模式中考虑这种动态变化之后,大气d13CO2的模拟结果与同期实测值的相关程度有较大提高.     

上海典型燃烧源铅和汞大气排放趋势分析

上海百年来快速的城市化进程导致资源能源的大量消耗,并向城市环境中排放了大量有毒有害污染物.为探寻上海典型燃烧源重金属大气排放历史及趋势,基于上海化石燃料(煤炭和汽油)的历史消耗量及其大气铅(Pb)和汞(Hg)的排放因子,估算了上海主要燃煤部门(燃煤电厂、工业部门和居民生活)和机动车燃油大气Pb和Hg的历史排放量.结果表明,1949~2015年间大气Pb和Hg的燃煤排放量随时间推进均呈现先增长后下降趋势,即1949年解放后快速增长的煤炭消耗和较少的烟尘控制措施使其排放量出现急剧地波动式增长,至20世纪80~90年达到高峰,此后上海采取了各种减排和控制措施,使得目前三大燃煤源的大气Pb和Hg排放量出现大幅度下降.1980~2015年间上海大气Hg的燃煤排放比例一直占据主导地位(87.5%~99.7%).含铅汽油自1997年完全退出上海市场之后,燃煤排放替代其成为大气Pb的主要贡献源(78.2%~83.5%),然而自2005年起随着汽油消耗的急速增长,汽油燃烧排放又成为其主要贡献源(55.5%~79.1%).     

The Impending Peak and Decline of Petroleum Production: an Underestimated Challenge for Conservation of Ecological Integrity

Abstract: In the last few decades petroleum has been consumed at a much faster pace than new reserves have been discovered. The point at which global oil extraction will attain a peak (“peak oil”) and begin a period of unavoidable decline is approaching. This eventuality will drive fundamental changes in the quantity and nature of energy flows through the human economic system, which probably will be accompanied by economic turmoil, political conflicts, and a high level of social tension. Besides being a geological and economic issue, peak oil is also a fundamental concern as it pertains to ecological systems and conservation because economics is a subsystem of the global ecosystem and changes in human energy‐related behaviors can lead to a broad range of effects on natural ecosystems, ranging from overuse to abandonment. As it becomes more difficult to meet energy demands, environmental considerations may be easily superseded. Given the vital importance of ecosystems and ecosystem services in a postpetroleum era, it is crucially important to wisely manage our ecosystems during the transition period to an economy based on little or no use of fossil fuels. Good policies can be formulated through awareness and understanding gained from scenario‐based assessments. Presently, most widely used global scenarios of environmental change do not incorporate resource limitation, including those of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Considering the potential magnitude of the effects of peak oil on society and nature, the development of resource‐constrained scenarios should be addressed immediately. Ecologists and conservation biologists are in an important position to analyze the situation and provide guidance, yet the topic is noticeably absent from ecological discussions. We urge politicians, corporate chief executives, thought leaders, and citizens to consider this problem seriously because it is likely to develop into one of the key environmental issues of the 21st century.     

控制温室效应的战略选择

尽管人类对温室效应和全球变化的认识还是很不充分的，但是继续拖延不采取措施是危险的，采取对抗温室效应和全球变化的措施是行不通的。只有在继续进行全球性科学研究的同时，积极寻求适应一定程度全球变化的措施，并立即着手减少温室气体的排放才是唯一明智的态度。化石能源是人类社会生存和发展的基础，既使用化石能源，又不排放二氧化碳是不可能是。首要的任务是减少化石能源的使用。     

Climate Change and Energy Technologies in Undergraduate Introductory Science Textbooks

Global climate change and the implementation of energy technologies are among the most pressing issues facing society and the environment today. Related educational content spans the science disciplines. Through an analysis of introductory-level university textbooks from four major US publishers in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, this study presents trends in terminology and content. As the defining terms, “global warming” and “climate change” are used nearly equally. However, the first location of a working definition for climate change appears earlier. Energy technologies, climate change, and related environmental issues are found, on average, on ≤4% of textbook pages, and variation is large among individual textbooks. Discipline-based trends exist, especially for the energy technologies presented. Addressed separately as a non-renewable, non-fossil fuel, nuclear energy is found on ≤1% of textbook pages and unfavorably represented. The discussion within these science disciplines has implications on introductory-level education, public perception of science, and informed citizenship.     

Reducing carbon emissions in Portugal: the relative roles of fossil fuel prices,energy efficiency,and carbon taxation

We assess the role of fossil fuel prices, energy efficiency, and carbon taxation in achieving climate policy goals using a dynamic general-equilibrium model of the Portuguese economy. Given the forecasts for international fossil fuel prices, improving energy efficiency and implementing a new carbon tax have significantly different economic and budgetary effects. Greater energy efficiency reduces emissions and has a positive economic effect, but increases public and foreign debt. A carbon tax reduces emissions at a cost for the economy, but leads to positive effects on public and foreign debt. Thus, it is important to pursue both strategies. We estimate that under the reference-price scenario, a steady energy efficiency gain of 2%–2.5% per year and a carbon tax of at least 35 € per tCO₂ are needed to achieve the stated goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 by an amount equivalent to 40% of the emissions in 1990. These views were fully integrated in a proposal presented by the Commission for Environmental Tax Reform to the Portuguese Government in September 2014, and then discussed in Parliament in November 2014, before enacting a new carbon tax on 1 January 2015.     

Key role for nuclear energy in global biodiversity conservation

Modern society uses massive amounts of energy. Usage rises as population and affluence increase, and energy production and use often have an impact on biodiversity or natural areas. To avoid a business‐as‐usual dependence on coal, oil, and gas over the coming decades, society must map out a future energy mix that incorporates alternative sources. This exercise can lead to radically different opinions on what a sustainable energy portfolio might entail, so an objective assessment of the relative costs and benefits of different energy sources is required. We evaluated the land use, emissions, climate, and cost implications of 3 published but divergent storylines for future energy production, none of which was optimal for all environmental and economic indicators. Using multicriteria decision‐making analysis, we ranked 7 major electricity‐generation sources (coal, gas, nuclear, biomass, hydro, wind, and solar) based on costs and benefits and tested the sensitivity of the rankings to biases stemming from contrasting philosophical ideals. Irrespective of weightings, nuclear and wind energy had the highest benefit‐to‐cost ratio. Although the environmental movement has historically rejected the nuclear energy option, new‐generation reactor technologies that fully recycle waste and incorporate passive safety systems might resolve their concerns and ought to be more widely understood. Because there is no perfect energy source however, conservation professionals ultimately need to take an evidence‐based approach to consider carefully the integrated effects of energy mixes on biodiversity conservation. Trade‐offs and compromises are inevitable and require advocating energy mixes that minimize net environmental damage. Society cannot afford to risk wholesale failure to address energy‐related biodiversity impacts because of preconceived notions and ideals.     

Reaction kinetic model for a recent co-produced water treatment technology

With the increasing demand for fossil based energy and implementation of progressively strict environmental pollution control standards, treatment of a large amount of co-produced waters (CPWs) from fossil based energy production has become increasingly important. Removal of bicarbonate with H2SO4 has been recently studied as a simple and cost-e ective method to decrease the alkalinity of CPWs. The present work investigates the kinetics of the reaction between H2SO4 and NaHCO3, which could provide the base for scaling-up the CPW treatment technology. Based on the measured quantity change of the CO2 gas generated from the reaction between H2SO4 and NaHCO3 with time under specified initial reaction conditions, the reaction orders with respect to H2SO4 and NaHCO3 were determined. Experiments were also conducted within the temperature of 15–30°C to find various global rate coe cients of the reaction to calculate the activation energy and the pre-exponential factor of the empirical Arrhenius form of the bicarbonate removal reaction, which are 197.7 kJ/mol and 3.13 1034 (mol??3:7 L3:7 sec??1), respectively.     

香港区域地层划分

本文在研究前人大量工作的基础上,以香港地区的地质演变历史为主要线索,重新拟定了泥盆纪以来香港的地层层序;对各主要地层单位,尤其是近年来新建的地层单位进行了讨论;将香港的地层与广东和中国南方进行了对比,并对香港今后进一步地层工作的方向提出了一些建议。本文的目的是建立一个简要的、索引式的有关香港地层的回顾,以便使读者能迅速掌握香港地层划分和对比的概况以及基本的地质演化历史。     

Spreading the News on Carbon Capture and Storage: A State-Level Comparison of US Media

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has received abundant federal support in the USA as an energy technology to mitigate climate change, yet its position within the energy system remains uncertain. Because media play a significant role in shaping public conversations about science and technology, we analyzed media portrayal of CCS in newspapers from four strategically selected states. We grounded the analysis in Luhmann's theory of social functions, operationalized through the socio-political evaluation of energy deployment (SPEED) framework. Coverage emphasized economic, political/legal, and technical functions and focused on benefits, rather than risks of adoption. Although news coverage connected CCS with climate change, the connection was constrained by political/legal functions. Media responses to this constraint indicate how communication across multiple social functions may influence deployment of energy technologies.