Cost estimation for solid waste management in industrialising regions--precedents, problems and prospects

The importance of cost planning for solid waste management (SWM) in industrialising regions (IR) is not well recognised. The approaches used to estimate costs of SWM can broadly be classified into three categories - the unit cost method, benchmarking techniques and developing cost models using sub-approaches such as cost and production function analysis. These methods have been developed into computer programmes with varying functionality and utility. IR mostly use the unit cost and benchmarking approach to estimate their SWM costs. The models for cost estimation, on the other hand, are used at times in industrialised countries, but not in IR. Taken together, these approaches could be viewed as precedents that can be modified appropriately to suit waste management systems in IR. The main challenges (or problems) one might face while attempting to do so are a lack of cost data, and a lack of quality for what data do exist. There are practical benefits to planners in IR where solid waste problems are critical and budgets are limited.     

Investigating the environmental Kuznets Curve and the role of green energy: Emerging and developed markets

In this study, the validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis and the effect of green energy sources to decrease CO₂ emissions are examined for emerging and developed markets from 1990 to 2011 using a pooled mean group (PMG) estimator. Empirical findings of this study suggest that the EKC hypothesis is not confirmed by emerging markets; meanwhile, it is strongly supported by developed markets. The long-run elasticity results of per capita data may also imply a divergence between emerging markets and developed markets regarding CO₂ emissions. On the other hand, the findings of this study indicate that renewable energy sources will play an important role in reducing CO₂ emissions for both panel groups in the long run.     

Developing an indicator set for measuring sustainable development in India

The global agenda of sustainable development (SD) will get a major boost from the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing countries. This requires effective planning and understanding of the SDGs at the national level and developing sound SDG indicators that account for country priorities. Currently, there is no formal SDG indicator set in India, but the process for it is underway. This paper has attempted to propose a unique technique for identifying the most representative indicator set for SD measurement in India based on the SDGs. Considering the needs and preferences of the country, a three‐stage process is proposed to develop the priority indicator set. The application of the approach has been presented for SDG 7, which relates to energy. This is supported with a background on India's SD progress. The proposed technique is simple yet effective, and can be easily replicated by other developing countries.     

广元市建设川陕甘结合部生态强市的思考

通过对广元市生态市的建设现状、指导思想、奋斗目标、建设路径进行深入分析,提出建设生态强市的可行性措施,并从法制、组织、资金、技术方面提供保障。     

A decision model for selecting sustainable drinking water supply and greywater reuse systems for developing communities with a case study in Cimahi, Indonesia

Capacity Factor Analysis is a decision support system for selection of appropriate technologies for municipal sanitation services in developing communities. Developing communities are those that lack the capability to provide adequate access to one or more essential services, such as water and sanitation, to their residents. This research developed two elements of Capacity Factor Analysis: a capacity factor based classification for technologies using requirements analysis, and a matching policy for choosing technology options. First, requirements analysis is used to develop a ranking for drinking water supply and greywater reuse technologies. Second, using the Capacity Factor Analysis approach, a matching policy is developed to guide decision makers in selecting the appropriate drinking water supply or greywater reuse technology option for their community. Finally, a scenario-based informal hypothesis test is developed to assist in qualitative model validation through case study. Capacity Factor Analysis is then applied in Cimahi Indonesia as a form of validation. The completed Capacity Factor Analysis model will allow developing communities to select drinking water supply and greywater reuse systems that are safe, affordable, able to be built and managed by the community using local resources, and are amenable to expansion as the community's management capacity increases.     

Effects of Lawn Maintenance on Nutrient Losses Via Overland Flow During Natural Rainfall Events1

Spence, Porchè L., Deanna L. Osmond, Wesley Childres, Joshua L. Heitman, and Wayne P. Robarge, 2012. Effects of Lawn Maintenance on Nutrient Losses Via Overland Flow During Natural Rainfall Events. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(5): 909‐924. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00658.x Abstract: A sampling system was used to evaluate the effect of residential lawn management on nutrient losses via overland flow generated during natural rainfall events from three residential landscapes: a high maintenance fescue lawn (HMFL), a low maintenance fescue lawn (LMFL), and a mixed forested residential landscape (FRL). A sampling system was located in designated areas within each landscape such that 100% of the runoff follows natural flow paths to the outlet ports and collects in sterile Nalgene^® B³ media bags (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Rochester, NY). A rainfall event was defined as producing ≥2.54 mm of water. A total of 87 rainfall events occurred during a 20‐month monitoring period. The total runoff volume collected from the LMFL was higher than from the HMFL and FRL, but on average <1% of the total rainfall was collected from the three landscapes. Mean nitrate concentrations from each lawn did not exceed 0.6 mg N/l. Nutrient unit area losses from the HMFL, LMFL, and FRL were 1,000 times less than fertilizer and throughfall inputs, which were due to the presence of well‐structured soils (low bulk densities) with high infiltration rates. This study demonstrated that the frequency of runoff, total runoff volumes, and nutrient losses during natural rainfall events are lower from highly maintained (i.e., irrigation, fertilizer application, and reseeding) densely uniform manicured lawns than low maintenance lawns and forested residential landscapes.     

Are shocks to natural gas consumption transitory or permanent? A more powerful panel unit root test on the G7 countries

This article re‐examines the persistence in natural gas consumption using an alternative methodology. We compare the results of traditional panel unit root tests with those provided by Bahmani‐Oskooee et al., which allow for both sharp and smooth breaks. Our analysis uses data for the G7 countries over the 1965–2016 years. The empirical findings show that while traditional unit root tests with sharp breaks lean towards the non‐stationarity of the series for all the G7 countries, modeling breaks in our unit root testing methodology can assert that natural gas consumption is non‐stationary only for Canada, France, Italy, and USA. These results imply that, for the majority of our sample, energy demand management policies designed to shrink energy consumption will have temporary effects, as energy consumption will return to its trend path.     

经济全球化能够有效抑制“一带一路”沿线国家的生态足迹吗?——来自动态门槛面板模型的经验证据

基于1993-2013年“一带一路”沿线55个国家的平行面板数据,运用Hansen动态面板门槛模型,以经济发展水平（人均GDP）为门槛变量,检验经济全球化与生态足迹之间的关系。研究结果表明：在不同的经济门槛范围内,经济全球化对生态足迹存在不同的影响。当经济发展水平小于等于3905美元时,经济全球化水平的提高能够显著降低生态足迹;当经济发展水平超过第一门槛值3905美元时,经济全球化水平对生态足迹的影响从显著抑制转变为促进作用,但是不显著;而当经济发展水平跨越第二门槛值8778美元时,经济全球化水平的提高能够显著刺激生态足迹的提高。当前“一带一路”沿线国家主要集中在第一门槛区间和第三门槛区间,经济全球化对生态足迹的影响出现两极分化态势,其中在第三门槛区间的国家在参与全球化的过程中应对资源的可持续利用引起充分重视,这关系到全球化的可持续发展和“一带一路”建设的顺利推进。     

Rural vulnerability to environmental change in the irrigated lowlands of Central Asia and options for policy-makers: A review

Climate change, land degradation and drought affect millions of people living in drylands worldwide. With its food security depending almost entirely on irrigated agriculture, Central Asia is one of the arid regions highly vulnerable to water scarcity. Previous research of land and water use in the region has focused on improving water-use efficiency, soil management and identifying technical, institutional and agricultural innovations. However, vulnerability to climate change has rarely been considered, in spite of the imminent risks due to a higher-than-average warming perspective and the predicted melting of glaciers, which will greatly affect the availability of irrigation water. Using the Khorezm region in the irrigated lowlands of northwest Uzbekistan as an example, we identify the local patterns of vulnerability to climate variability and extremes. We look at on-going environmental degradation, water-use inefficiency, and barriers to climate change adaptation and mitigation, and based on an extensive review of research evidence from the region, we present concrete examples of initiatives for building resilience and improving climate risk management. These include improving water use efficiency and changing the cropping patterns that have a high potential to decrease the exposure and sensitivity of rural communities to climate risks. In addition, changes in land use such as the afforestation of degraded croplands, and introducing resource-smart cultivation practices such as conservation agriculture, may strengthen the capacity of farmers and institutions to respond to climate challenges. As these can be out-scaled to similar environments, i.e. the irrigated cotton and wheat growing lowland regions in Central Asia and the Caucasus, these findings may be relevant for regions beyond the immediate geographic area from which it draws its examples.     

国外分区环境管理实践及其对我国的启示

将环境管理融入空间规划,通过科学引导形成规范的空间开发秩序,是从决策源头防止出现重大资源环境问题的根本。国外的一般做法是将环境保护要求作为编制空间规划的重要依据,对环境问题突出的区域进行专门整治,设立专门的保护区域,以及在环境标准中体现区域差异。借鉴国外经验,我国应考虑编制综合性国土规划,制定一揽子区域政策来系统解决区域环境问题,增强环境政策的区域差异性,以及实施环境优先战略。