ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING: An Approach for Characterizing Tropospheric Ozone Risk to Forests

/ The risk tropospheric ozone poses to forests in the United States is dependent on the variation in ozone exposure across the distribution of the forests in question and the various environmental and climate factors predominant in the region. All these factors have a spatial nature, and consequently an approach to characterization of ozone risk is presented that places ozone exposure-response functions for species as seedlings and model-simulated tree and stand responses in a spatial context using a geographical information systems (GIS). The GIS is used to aggregate factors considered important in a risk characterization, including: (1) estimated ozone exposures over forested regions, (2) measures of ozone effects on species' and stand growth, and (3) spatially distributed environmental, genetic, and exposure influences on species' response to ozone. The GIS-based risk characterization provides an estimation of the extent and magnitude of the potential ozone impact on forests. A preliminary risk characterization demonstrating this approach considered only the eastern United States and only the limited empirical data quantifying the effect of ozone exposures on forest tree species as seedlings. The area-weighted response of the annual seedling biomass loss formed the basis for a sensitivity ranking: sensitive-aspen and black cherry (14%-33% biomass loss over 50% of their distribution); moderately sensitive-tulip popular, loblolly pine, eastern white pine, and sugar maple (5%-13% biomass loss); insensitive-Virginia pine and red maple (0%-1% loss). In the future, the GIS-based risk characterization will include process-based model simulations of the three- to 5-year growth response of individual species as large trees with relevant environmental interactions and model simulated response of mixed stands. The interactive nature of GIS provides a tool to explore consequences of the range of climate conditions across a species' distribution, forest management practices, changing ozone precursors, regulatory control strategies, and other factors influencing the spatial distribution of ozone over time as more information becomes available.KEY WORDS: Ecological risk assessment; GIS; Ozone; Risk characterization; Forests; Trees     

Integration of Environmental Assessment into the Regional Development Planning Process of the Galilee

/ The Galilee region on the northern edge of Israel constitutes more than 15% of the state's territory, supplies more than half of its drinking water needs, and is an important recreational resource and destination for Israelis. One of the main objectives of the plan for the Galilee was to devise a regional physical and economic development strategy for the years 1992-2007 that would arrest the trend of emigration of its residents, attract newly arrived immigrants to the region, and at the same time protect natural resources and environmental quality. This paper is limited to discussion of the environmental aspects of the plan. It analyzes spatial concepts for distribution of projected population growth, evaluates environmental impacts of alternative plans, and proposes a decision-making framework and tools for minimizing natural resources loss from development at the local level. Assessment of potential environmental impacts generated quantitative data of natural resources areas. Application of the data in the plan evaluation stage showed that the alternative that concentrated most of the new development in central Galilee was the second-best choice environmentally, but was preferred as the best choice for overall qualities. The planning study offers an alternative environmental impact assessment (EIA) process to the one presently used in Israel by incorporating environmental considerations at the initial plan-making stage and not at the plan-approval stage. It demonstrated that in order to be effective, environmental assessment and land-use planning should be seen as one effort that is integrated from the start and in each stage of the plan-making process.KEY WORDS: Environmental assessment; Development planning; Galilee     

岷江都江堰段水环境容量计算及水质综合评价

岷江水域兼有灌溉，供水，发电等多重功能。本文对岷江都江堰段水环境现状进行了模糊综合评价，并计算了水环境容量。     

Evaluation of the california environmental quality act

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has evolved from a mini-NEPA, first enacted in 1970, into a procedural act that affects the approval process of all large developments in California. In 1990, California local governments produced over 1600 environmental impact reports and 30,000 initial studies under CEQA. Because of its widespread use, CEQA has periodically drawn the attention of the state legislature, most recently in 1993, when over 60 CEQA reform bills were introduced. This paper describes the CEQA process and evaluates its success at meeting its explicit and implicit goals. The research includes a statewide survey of CEQA practice, sent to the planning departments of all 513 local governments in California in 1991. Survey respondents agreed that CEQA helps in evaluating environmental impacts, reducing impacts, informing the public, and coordinating public agency review. It is effective in reducing the environmental impacts of individual projects, but is not as effective in improving environmental quality on an areawide scale. This research concludes that CEQA has led to positive outcomes and is not as deeply flawed as many of its critics claim. Still, CEQA as currently designed may not be the optimal vehicle for ensuring environmental quality.     

Greenhouse impacts of anthropogenic CH4 and N2O emissions in Finland

The Finnish anthropogenic CH₄ emissions in 1990 are estimated to be about 250 Gg, with an uncertainty range extending from 160 to 440 Gg. The most important sources are landfills and animal husbandry. The N₂O emissions, which come mainly from agriculture and the nitric acid industry are about 20 Gg in 1990 (uncertainty range 10–30 Gg). The development of the emissions to the year 2010 is reviewed in two scenarios: the base and the reduction scenarios.According to the base scenario, the Finnish CH₄ emissions will decrease in the near future. Emissions from landfills, energy production, and transportation will decrease because of already decided and partly realized volume and technical changes in these sectors. The average reduction potential of 50%, as assumed in the reduction scenario, is considered achievable.N₂O emissions, on the other hand, are expected to increase as emissions from energy production and transportation will grow due to an increasing use of fluidized bed boilers and catalytic converters in cars. The average reduction potential of 50%, as assumed in the reduction scenario, is optimistic.Anthropogenic CH₄ and N₂O emissions presently cause about 30% of the direct radiative forcing due to Finnish anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This share would be even larger if the indirect impacts of CH₄ were included. The contribution of CH₄ can be controlled due to its relatively short atmospheric lifetime and due to the existing emission reduction potential. Nitrous oxide has a long atmospheric lifetime and its emission control possiblities are limited consequently, the greenhouse impact of N₂O seems to be increasing even if the emissions were limited somehow.     

回转窑煅烧石油焦清洁生产方案研究

在回转窑煅烧石油焦的过程中,大量的高温烟气和比较严重的粉尘是污染环境的主要因素。文章以清洁生产理论为依据,综合论述了回转窑煅烧石油焦全过程,并对污染处理和资源、能源综合利用等方案进行了研究。在我国,比较成熟的清洁生产技术是采用余热回收蒸汽和袋式除尘技术。回转窑产能大,机械化程度较高,投资少,建设速度快,所产生的污染物易控制,维修费用低,换料容易,是大规模煅烧焦厂家应优先采用的石油焦煅烧设备。     

王心芳会长在2006年全国环保产业协会工作会议上的讲话(摘录)

中国环境保护产业协会王心芳会长在2006年7月18-19日在北京召开的全国环境保护产业协会工作会议上，就我国环保产业的现状及存在的主要问题、环保产业“十一五”期间面临的形势及“十一五”期间中国环境保护产业协会主要的工作思路做了讲话（本文为讲话摘录）。     

基层环境影响评价工作存在的问题与对策

目前环境影响评价普遍存在滞后现象和水平低及周期长等问题,提出广泛开展环评法宣传教育;加强环评队伍建设,提高环评人员的素质;把环评纳入总量控制轨道,突出浓度与总量同时评价;大众参与以及进一步规范和完善环境影响报告书的审批等对策与措施.     

准确把握环境形势,认真落实"全面、协调和可持续的科学发展观",努力实现全面建设小康社会的可持续发展目标

本文主要论述了在实现我国中长期环境与资源保护战略目标过程中,环境形势的长期性、艰巨性和复杂性;指出必须通过发展观念、经济增长方式、经济体制和政策职能的转变,树立和落实全面、协调和可持续的科学发展观,促进经济、政治、文化、生态环境的全面发展。     

学习借鉴,走跨越式发展之路

论述了为实现全面建设小康社会的发展目标，必须走跨越式发展之路。