Ethical Issues Related to Food Sector Evolution in Developing Countries: About Sustainability and Equity

After a century of major technicaladvance, essentially achieved by and for theindustrialized countries, the evolution of thefood sector in southern countries should nolonger be thought of in terms of a ``headlongpursuit.'' In the present context of demographicgrowth, urbanization, poverty and disparities,environmental degradation, and globalization oftrade, new priorities have emerged, and newethical questions have been raised, mainlyrelated to sustainability and equity. Thispaper analyses these ethical concerns in thefollowing terms: can the model of food sectordevelopment initiated by the industrializedcountries be applied to the entire world on asustainable and equitable basis, given theeffects of this development with regard to theenergy consumed, the changes in dietarybehavior and related nutritional problems, thenew demands in terms of food safety, thequestions of biodiversity, ownership ofknowledge, cultural identities, gender issues,and Man's relationship to food and Nature?     

Cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent road traffic injuries in low- and middle-income countries: A literature review

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify, critically appraise, summarize, and synthesize evidence from cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) of interventions aimed at preventing road traffic injuries (RTIs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by age group and road users targeted.

Methods: A search strategy was applied to 12 electronic databases for studies published between May 2002 and August 2015 that met prespecified inclusion criteria. Additional studies were identified by contacting authors and searching bibliographies. Included studies were critically appraised against published criteria and a narrative synthesis was conducted including a use of the strength of evidence criteria.

Results: Five studies were included in the final review that reported 9 interventions. Only 2 out of 9 interventions (drink-drive legislation with enforcement via breath testing campaign and combined interventions for reducing RTIs) showed moderate evidence of being cost-effective, whereas the evidence of cost-effectiveness of other interventions was weak. Only 2 interventions (bicycle and motorcycle helmet use legislation and enforcement) were explicitly targeted to children, young people and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. The cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent RTIs in LMICs ranged from US$4.14 per disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted for building speed bumps at the most dangerous junctions that caused 10% of junction deaths in the area studied to US$3,403 per DALYs averted for legislation and enforcement of helmet use by motorcyclists in the World Health Organization (WHO) sub-Saharan Africa region.

Conclusions: Evidence of cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent RTIs in LMICs is limited, particularly for children, young people, and vulnerable road users. Evaluation of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a larger number of possible road safety interventions in a variety of LMIC settings is warranted to generate the evidence base for effective traffic injury prevention programs.     

Assessment of GHG inventories from the LUCF sector of Annex-I countries

Reporting of CO₂ emissions and removals from the landuse change and forestry (LUCF) sector is assessed in this paper based onthe National GHG inventories and the National Communications submittedby the Annex-I countries. LUCF sector is a net sink for 27 countries outof 31 countries and a source for Australia, Estonia, Lithuania and UnitedKingdom. LUCF sector for Annex-I countries, as a group is a net sink of2035 Tg CO₂ (555 Tg Carbon). The sink feature is largely due toCO₂ removal by the existing forests, plantations and other trees.Forest and grassland conversion (deforestation) is not a major source ofCO₂ in the Annex-I countries. Many Annex-I countries have notfully adopted the reporting format of IPCC limiting the comparability andtransparency. Several Annex-I countries have modified the CO₂emission/removal estimates for 1990, but have not explained the reasons.Reporting of uncertainty is very limited. The methods adopted andparticularly reporting is inadequate to meet the requirements foroperationalising the Kyoto Protocol articles relevant to LUCF;comparability, transparency and verifiability.     

Integrating Habitat Status, Human Population Pressure, and Protection Status into Biodiversity Conservation Priority Setting

Abstract:  Priority setting is an essential component of biodiversity conservation. Existing methods to identify priority areas for conservation have focused almost entirely on biological factors. We suggest a new relative ranking method for identifying priority conservation areas that integrates both biological and social aspects. It is based on the following criteria: the habitat's status, human population pressure, human efforts to protect habitat, and number of endemic plant and vertebrate species. We used this method to rank 25 hotspots, 17 megadiverse countries, and the hotspots within each megadiverse country. We used consistent, comprehensive, georeferenced, and multiband data sets and analytical remote sensing and geographic information system tools to quantify habitat status, human population pressure, and protection status. The ranking suggests that the Philippines, Atlantic Forest, Mediterranean Basin, Caribbean Islands, Caucasus, and Indo-Burma are the hottest hotspots and that China, the Philippines, and India are the hottest megadiverse countries. The great variation in terms of habitat, protected areas, and population pressure among the hotspots, the megadiverse countries, and the hotspots within the same country suggests the need for hotspot- and country-specific conservation policies.     

国际高等职业教育的比较研究

本文分析了高等职业教育产生的背景，从办学定位、办学方式、培养目标、课程开发、培养途径、师资队伍、经费保障、法律保障等方面，比较研究了发达国家或地区的高等职业教育，最后提出了发展我国高等职业教育的若干建议。     

城镇生活污染排放系数调查与核算——以常州市为例

污染物排放系数的确定是准确核算城镇生活污染物数量的基本前提和重要保证.以太湖流域上游、经济发达的常州市为例,借助问卷访谈与实地监测等手段,调查与核算经济发达地区城镇居民生活污水排放特点,并解析其影响因素及机理.结果表明:受地区差异的影响,常州市城镇居民生活污染排放系数低于国家污染源普查核定系数;家庭规模、收入水平、文化程度和年龄结构是污染物排放系数的关键影响因素.其中,年龄结构对NH+4-N、TP排放系数的影响最大,年龄结构和收入水平是TN排放系数的关键影响因素,文化程度与COD排放系数的关联性最强.但环保意识对污染排放系数的影响不显著,主要作用仅表现在用水量的节约,而对水质的保护并不显著.     

Investigating corporate social responsibility in supply chains: a SME perspective

This paper analyzes the practices adopted and difficulties experienced by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to transfer socially responsible behaviors to suppliers that operate in developing countries. In particular, a multiple case study was conducted on five Italian socially responsible SMEs. It was found that companies use different strategies as well as diverse management systems and tools to address Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issues along their supply chains (SCs). The paper is innovative mainly since few are the existing studies that investigate the CSR practices adopted by SMEs in the SC. Furthermore, it is argued that our research can be helpful to SME managers willing to deal with CSR issues along their SCs, especially when developing countries are involved.     

国外包装业发展循环经济的做法

我国已成为仅次于美国、日本之后的第三大“包装大国”。详细介绍了发达国家包装产业发展循环经济的主要做法,为我国加快包装产业循环经济的发展,实现包装工业的可持续发展提供参考。     

西部欠发达地区工业发展规划环评评价手段研究——以富源县“十一五”工业发展规划环评为例

以富源县“十一五”工业发展规划环评为例,就西部欠发达地区如何采用简单、实用的评价手段,克服西部欠发达地区社会、经济落后、观念意识淡薄、环境污染严重、生态环境恶化、评价方法不成熟等困难,使规划环评真正做到评价与决策有机结合进行了研究和探讨。     

基于方法改进后的中国对外贸易隐含能测算

自2001年起中国成为能源净进口国,伴随着能源贸易逆差的持续扩大,国际社会上不断出现对中国大量进口能源的各种指责。实际上中国进口的能源不仅用于自身的消耗,而且更多的是用于生产和出口大量优质的商品以满足国外消费者的需求。因此明确中国对外贸易中的能源消耗水平就成为准确认识中国真实能源消耗水平的关键。与传统能源消耗水平的测算方法不同,隐含能概念的引入使得对一国最终商品完整生产过程中的能源消耗测算更为准确。而在隐含能的测算过程中,测算的关键据是一国的投入产出表数据。本文在总结已有研究的基础上对中国隐含能的测算方法进行了改进。以中国官方公布的中国投入产出表为基础,在测算出口时使用"按固定比例进行分配"法;而在测算进口时放弃使用单一国家或部分国家加权方法计算进口能耗系数的方法,使用由本文提出的将进口国分为发达国家和发展中国家两类的方法测算能耗系数,并以此为基础重新测算了中国的进出口隐含能和贸易隐含能净值。通过测算不仅使中国贸易隐含能的结果得到进一步的精确,而且还深入到行业内部,对具体行业的隐含能状况进行了分析。测算发现中国在整个贸易过程中实际处于隐含能源的"净输出"状态,而造成逆差的行业主要是采掘和加工业、其他行业、其他工业等。并以此为基础,提出今后中国对于上述这些隐含能净值逆差行业要在保持已有贸易模式的前提下对其就继续予以扶持和鼓励;而对于隐含能净值为顺差的行业则要把工作的重点放在如何提高内部技术平和降低能耗上。通过降低出口隐含能水平和增加进口隐含能的方式来实现贸易隐含能收支的均衡。