Environmental decision-making: the influence of policy information

ABSTRACT

The success of technological development depends on citizens’ social acceptance, whereas several challenges related to the understanding of citizens’ reactions to renewable energy and its policies are identifiable. Most importantly, the gap between general attitudes towards the environment and specific voting behaviour regarding environment-friendly policy proposals calls for an explanation of how a policy’s design causes citizens who might otherwise support environmental measures to express opposition in direct democratic votes. Therefore, how policy design and policy information impact opinion formation is investigated. Salient aspects are identified, and the different types of information or qualifications that may cause opposition are considered. This new approach reveals that citizens, in environmental decision-making, do indeed consider policy design and policy information, which they regard as conditions for support, and that the type of policy information matters since citizens do not consider all of the policy details when they make decisions.     

城市土壤和地表灰尘重金属污染研究进展与展望

随着城市化和工业化的不断推进,城市土壤和地表灰尘重金属污染日趋严重,对城市环境和人类健康构成威胁,已成为国内外城市环境研究的热点问题.从重金属污染水平及其时空特征、污染源解析方法、生态和健康风险这3个主要方面,对国内外城市土壤和地表灰尘重金属研究成果进行了梳理和归纳.分析了当前研究存在的不足,并对未来研究进行了展望,即研究土壤和地表灰尘重金属在不同条件下的相互影响机制,通过丰富验证方法加强重金属来源解析模型结果的可靠性研究,加强来源驱动下重金属化学形态差异和地表灰尘短期累积污染过程的研究,完善暴露参数并深入探究重金属的化学形态对其生态和健康风险的影响,以提高风险预测水平.     

速生杨木粉尘最小点火能的实验研究

为防止木材加工中木质粉尘燃爆事故的发生,以纤维板生产中常见的原材料速生杨木粉尘作为研究对象,在分析粉尘粒径分布、元素分析、工业分析及形貌特征的基础上,采用1.2 L哈特曼管对3种不同粒径（0~50,＞50~96,＞96~180 μm）速生杨木粉尘进行最小点火能实验,探究点火延迟时间、喷粉压力、质量浓度和粒径分布对速生杨木粉尘最小点火能的影响及变化规律。研究结果表明:在质量浓度为500 g/m3时,分别增加点火延迟时间和喷粉压力,最小点火能都先减小后增大;最佳点火延迟时间和最佳喷粉压力分别为120 ms和120 kPa;粒径对最佳点火延迟时间和最佳喷粉压力无显著影响。在点火延迟和喷粉压力分别为120 ms和120 kPa条件下,最小点火能随质量浓度的增加先减小后增大。粉尘粒径与最小点火能呈正相关性,3种样品的最小点火能分别为1~3,1~3和7~13 mJ,对应的敏感质量浓度分别为500 ,750和1 250 g/m3,属于特别着火敏感性粉尘。     

煤中掺比伴生硫化物的自燃特性分析

为了深入探究矿井下伴生硫化物对煤自燃及着火燃烧特性的影响,向原煤中添加不同量的含硫物配制4种不同含硫量的煤样,通过TG实验、DSC测试和XRD分析,研究伴生硫化物对煤自燃及着火燃烧特性的影响规律;基于Coats-Redfern法计算煤中掺加不同伴生硫化物时煤燃烧阶段的活化能。研究结果表明:随着煤中掺比伴生硫化物的增多,煤的特征温度相应减小,而吸氧量、可燃和稳燃指数相应增大,原煤中混入伴生硫化物后更易自燃;随着煤中掺比伴生硫化物的增多,煤燃烧阶段的活化能降低,煤更易着火燃烧;伴生硫化物的主要成分为水绿矾、叶绿矾,这些物质在常温下遇水和氧气能够发生化学循环反应,反应放热促使了煤更易自燃;伴生硫化物在温度高于200℃以后整体表现为放热,在温度为565℃时达到放热峰值,这使得煤燃烧阶段的活化能降低,煤更易燃烧。     

Implementing EU climate and energy policies in Poland: policy feedback and reform

European Union (EU) climate/energy targets and policies are poised for the first full climate policy cycle – from adoption and implementation of the policy package for 2020, to reform for 2030. A dynamic approach to the ways in which EU policies affect policy development is developed by applying theories of domestic implementation, policy feedback and integration. Implementation experiences in Poland – the ‘least climate ambitious’ EU member state – affected Polish preferences for reformed EU policies. Existing EU policies, their ‘fit’ with Poland’s energy interests and change in anticipation of future EU policies explain much of the variation in preferences. Second, policy feedback from Poland significantly affected the EU 2030 climate and energy framework. As yet, the EU has succeeded only partly in gathering momentum through a ‘snowball’ effect whereby positive policy feedback from implementation generates further steps.     

Negotiating energy democracy in practice: governance processes in community energy projects

There is a growing ‘energy democracy’ (ED) movement which regards the transition to renewable energy as an opportunity for socio-economic transformation, as well as technological innovation. The literature on ED tends to associate greater democratic control of energy systems with increased community control over the means of energy generation and distribution. Nonetheless, this literature often assumes rather than demonstrates that the forms of governance it promotes are more democratic than the status quo. This analysis contributes to the emerging field of ED by assessing the complex and varied ways in which communities in Scotland practise energy governance. By focusing on three key governance processes (decision-making, accountability and dispute resolution), the importance of local contexts for the establishment and negotiation of democratic practices is demonstrated. This local specificity, however, also raises further questions regarding the universal applicability of the ED concept.     

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.     

基于混合生命周期方法的私人电动汽车温室气体排放研究

近年来,电动汽车因其在行驶过程中无任何尾气排放,被各国政府视为推动交通部门清洁、低碳发展的重要途径,主要发达国家纷纷推出了各自的电动汽车发展战略。但是,由于电力属于二次能源,其上游电力生产阶段的能源消费是否清洁将对电动汽车的减排效果产生重要影响。考虑到目前中国绝大部分电力源于煤炭,电动汽车是否真正有益于减排还有待进一步验证。目前一些专家和学者基于传统的过程生命周期评价方法对电动汽车的能源消费、温室气体排放做了一些研究,但研究结果差异较大。为了对电动汽车的减排效果进行更精确的研究,本文采用混合生命周期方法对电动汽车的能源消费、温室气体排放进行了计算。同时,在考虑电动汽车的燃料生命周期、车辆制造生命周期的基础上,将相关配套充电设施建设生命周期纳入到电动汽车的全生命周期系统边界内,以使对电动汽车全生命周期的研究结果更加完整、精确。研究结果显示,纯电动汽车并非是"零排放"的,在燃料周期,虽然纯电动汽车的单位里程能源消费强度较小,约为传统汽油车的94.6%,但以煤为主的高碳电力结构导致目前纯电动汽车燃料周期的单位里程温室气体排放强度约为传统汽油车的1.12倍;车辆周期内,纯电动汽车的能源消费和温室气体排放量也略高于传统汽油车;此外,配套充电设施的建设也将增加纯电动汽车全生命周期的能源消费和温室气体排放量。综合燃料、车辆及充电设备的全生命周期,在当前的电源结构及技术条件下,电动汽车虽然具有较高的能源效率和较好的石油替代效果,但其全生命周期内的煤炭消费较高,导致其温室气体排放量高于传统汽油车,在当前的情况下大规模发展电动汽车并不利于温室气体减排。     

基于BML生产率指数的中国旅游业能源效率评价与影响因素研究

为减少旅游业能源消耗,实现旅游低碳绿色发展,探讨如何提高旅游业能源效率,基于包含非期望产出的方向性距离函数,首先构建了适应旅游业的Biennial Malmquist-Luenberger(BML)效率指数,以中国30个省市2005~2013年旅游业为实证对象,测度了其能源效率,9 a来旅游业能源效率变化源泉可被分解为全要素生产率、资本对能源替代效应、劳动对能源替代效应、能源结构效应和产出结构效应5项影响因素。研究发现:(1)中国旅游业能源效率整体上处于较低水平,旅游业能源效率可以扩张提升的比例较大。(2)整体上全要素生产率、资本对能源替代效应、劳动对能源替代效应和能源结构效应的提升能促进旅游业能源效率提高。(3)近3 a来劳动和资本投入的能源替代效应对旅游业能源效率变化的作用超过了全要素生产率。(4)区域层面上,东部地区旅游业能源效率高于中西部地区,主要由地区间旅游业对资本投入使用和能源消耗结构的差异造成。(5)整个样本期间,中国17个省市旅游业能源效率呈现下降趋势,背后的因素各有不同,旅游业资本替代效应是湖北省、福建省和浙江省等多数省市旅游业能源效率下降的主要因素,全要素生产率是安徽省、海南省、贵州省和甘肃省旅游业能源效率下降的主要原因。因此,合理利用投入的资源要素对旅游业低能耗发展至关重要,尤其是要发挥好资本对能源的替代效应,高效的资本配置能极大提高旅游能源效率。     

Energy consumption model and energy efficiency evaluation for CNC continuous generating grinding machine tools

Abstract

Machine tool, which is the basis energy consumed device in manufacturing system, its energy consumption model and energy efficiency evaluation are the prerequisites for energy saving in manufacturing. Considering the multi-energy-sources features,analysed the mathematical model of a CNC continuous generating grinding machine tool from the view of energy constitute. The energy sources of a CNC continuous generating grinding machine tool are classified into gear grinding system, grinding wheel dressing system and auxiliary system. Based on the power balance equations of energy flow, the energy flow system of a CNC continuous generating grinding machine tool is established. And then the energy consumption mathematical model of a CNC continuous generating grinding machine tool is set up by combining the power balance equations with the operating features of three kinds of energy sources. The case study shows that the proposed energy consumption model can provide fundamental support for energy consumption forecasting, energy efficiency analysis and energy-saving optimisation during the machine tool operation process.