Viability of using global standards for neighbourhood sustainability assessment: insights from a comparative case study

Neighbourhoods are increasingly gaining attention as planning units of great potential for contribution to sustainable development. Many assessment tools such as LEED-ND, BREEAM Communities and CASBEE-UD have been developed to examine the sustainability of neighbourhood development projects. Some of these tools are claimed to be suitable for assessment in different contexts, and LEED-ND has already been utilised in various countries. This study investigates the viability of using global standards through a series of comparative case studies. One certified case from each of the aforementioned tools is chosen and evaluated against its non-corresponding assessment tools. Selected cases are, respectively, Hoyt Yards, MediaCityUK and Koshigaya Lake Town. Results of this study provide evidence that casts doubt on the viability of using global standards. The paper concludes that neighbourhood sustainability assessment should be regarded as a pluralistic practice. This implies that any realistic and reliable assessment should take account of the specificities of specific locations and varying needs of different stakeholders.     

国内外冶金行业安全标准对比研究与分析

本文重点介绍了《国内外冶金行业安全标准对比研究》项目开展的基本情况,阐述了我国与欧美国家冶金行业安全标准体系和相关专业安全标准条款的对比内容,分析了我国冶金行业安全标准同欧美发达国家之间存在的差距与不足,有针对性地提出了我国冶金行业安全标准实现与国际发达国家接轨的对策措施和工作方向。     

Design and demonstration of a next-generation air quality attainment assessment system for PM2.5 and O3

Due to the increasingly stringent standards, it is important to assess whether the proposed emission reduction will result in ambient concentrations that meet the standards. The Software for Model Attainment Test—Community Edition (SMAT-CE) is developed for demonstrating attainment of air quality standards of O₃ and PM_2.5. SMAT-CE improves computational efficiency and provides a number of advanced visualization and analytical functionalities on an integrated GIS platform. SMAT-CE incorporates historical measurements of air quality parameters and simulated air pollutant concentrations under a number of emission inventory scenarios to project the level of compliance to air quality standards in a targeted future year. An application case study of the software based on the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) shows that SMAT-CE is capable of demonstrating the air quality attainment of annual PM_2.5 and 8-hour O₃ for a proposed emission control policy.     

Design and demonstration of a next-generation air quality attainment assessment system for PM2.5 and O3

Due to the increasingly stringent standards, it is important to assess whether the proposed emission reduction will result in ambient concentrations that meet the standards. The Software for Model Attainment Test—Community Edition (SMAT-CE) is developed for demonstrating attainment of air quality standards of O₃ and PM_2.5. SMAT-CE improves computational efficiency and provides a number of advanced visualization and analytical functionalities on an integrated GIS platform. SMAT-CE incorporates historical measurements of air quality parameters and simulated air pollutant concentrations under a number of emission inventory scenarios to project the level of compliance to air quality standards in a targeted future year. An application case study of the software based on the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) shows that SMAT-CE is capable of demonstrating the air quality attainment of annual PM_2.5 and 8-hour O₃ for a proposed emission control policy.     

中美二噁英相关标准的比较

总结分析了中美两国二噁英有关标准的特点。我国二噁英相关的标准体系有待完善,主要集中在重点行业的烟气排放标准方面。美国二噁英相关标准体系较为完善,以风险评估为重点,二噁英排放源涉及的行业划分细致。排放标准分级明显,技术导向明显。通过对比分析指出,我国应继续深化重点行业的烟气排放控制的策略。加强二噁英风险评估的基础性研究工作,以减排技术为基础,强化分级管理的思路,并针对不同排放源细化二噁英的标准。     

我国《地表水环境质量标准》历次修订概要及启示

针对目前我国地表水环境质量标准制制修订现状,从水域功能划分、标准项目、标准限值等主要内容及发展历程进行回顾梳理;从健康风险管理角度出发,总结经验并对我国《地表水环境质量标准》制修订工作提出建议。     

论环境民事纠纷的可仲裁性

环境民事纠纷需要多元化的解决途径,可以考虑把仲裁作为解决环境民事纠纷的途径之一。可仲裁性标准是衡量各种纠纷是否可以提交仲裁的条件。依据可仲裁性标准对各种类型的环境民事纠纷进行分析,可以确定一部分环境民事纠纷具有可仲裁性。     

A national critical loads framework for atmospheric deposition effects assessment: IV. Model selection,applications, and critical loads mapping

The critical loads approach is emerging as an attractive means for evaluating the effects of atmospheric deposition on sensitive terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Various approaches are available for modeling ecosystem responses to deposition and for estimating critical load values. These approaches include empirical and statistical relationships, steady-state and simple process models, and integrated-effects models. For any given ecosystem, the most technically sophisticated approach will not necessarily be the most appropriate for all applications; identification of the most useful approach depends upon the degree of accuracy needed and upon data and computational requirements, biogeochemical processes being modeled, approaches used for representing model results on regional bases, and desired degree of spatial and temporal resolution. Different approaches are characterized by different levels of uncertainty. If the limitations of individual approaches are known, the user can determine whether an approach provides a reasonable basis for decision making. Several options, including point maps, grid maps, and ecoregional maps, are available for presenting model results in a regional context. These are discussed using hypothetical examples for choosing populations and damage limits. The research described in this article has been funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency. This document has been prepared at the EPA Environmental Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, through contract #68-C8-0006 with ManTech Environmental Technology, Inc., and Interagency Agreement #1824-B014-A7 with the U.S. Department of Energy and at Oak Ridge National Laboratory managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., under Contract DE-AC05-84OR21400 with the US Department of Energy. Environmental Sciences Division Publication No. 3904. It has been subjected to the agency’s peer and administrative review and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.     

THEORY AND REALITY IN ALLOCATING FEDERAL RESOURCES TO WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT1

ABSTRACT: Federal spending on water resource development projects exceeds $10 billion annually. This paper examines the economic theory and practice on which the Federal water resource development plans are based. Existing theoretical and applied problems result in overinvestment. These include 1) no standard of value for the tradeoff of environmental objectives with economic objectives; 2) benefits based on “willingness to pay,” but beneficiaries pay only a fraction of a project's costs; 3) beneficiaries “shop around” among program purposes in order to reduce their commitments; and 4) benefit/cost (B/C) analyses are based on a discount rate, which is consistently below the Federal borrowing rate. Furthermore, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) frequently finds that the agency regulations are inadequate and result in inconsistent and questionable benefit computations. The President has proposed a series of water policy reforms, to reduce some of the apparent overinvestment in water resource development, but fundmental corrective action rests with the members of Congress.     

IMPACT OF THERMAL STANDARDS ON POWER PLANT WATER CONSUMPTION1

Power plant water consumption (evaporative water loss) for various river temperature standards is presented for existing and proposed power plants located along the Missouri and Upper Mississippi Rivers in the MAPP geographical area. Thermodynamic and economic models are combined to evaluate the cooling related water consumption at various river thermal standards. The existing thermal standards and a number of other hypothetical thermal regulations including the extreme cases of no thermal standards and no allowable heated discharges are examined to show the dependence on thermal standards of power production related water consumption. A critical appraisal of the cost of thermal standards in terms of water consumption is thereby possible so that subjective assessments of the standards can proceed with full knowledge of the tradeoffs involved between the “water costs” of power production and environmental enhancement.