Towards a Paradigmatic Shift in Sustainability Studies: A Systematic Review of Peer Reviewed Literature and Future Agenda Setting to Consider Environmental (Un)sustainability of Digital Communication

The materiality of digital communication inflicts substantial environmental damage: the extraction of resources needed to produce digital devices; the toxicity of e-waste; and the rapidly increasing energy demands required to sustain data generated by digital communication. This damage, however, is paradoxically under-theorized in scholarship on environmental sustainability. Despite the existing critique of the “techno-fix” approach in sustainability studies, digitization – and digital communication in particular – continue to be celebrated as the tool for environmental sustainability; an approach we coin “digital solutionism.” The article presents the first systematic review of the literature to map the implicit assumptions about the relationships between digital communications and environmental sustainability, in order to examine how digital solutionism manifests, and why it persists. We propose a concept matrix that identifies the key blind spots with regards to environmental damages of the digital, and call for a paradigmatic shift in environmental sustainability studies. An agenda for future research is put forward that advocates for the following: (1) a systematic account of material damages of devices, platforms and data systems adopted into sustainability research and practice, resulting in changes in both research framing and methodological foundations; (2) a reconceptualization and denaturalization of the digital itself as a promising solution; (3) a theoretical dialogue between sustainability studies and environmental communication. (4) an expansion of environmental communication as a field, from focusing on the communication aspect of environmental change to include the environmental footprint of communication itself.     

Reform,Justice, and Sovereignty: A Food Systems Agenda for Environmental Communication

Food ecologies and economies are vital to the survival of communities, non-human species, and our planet. While environmental communication scholars have legitimated food as a topic of inquiry, the entangled ecological, cultural, economic, racial, colonial, and alimentary relations that sustain food systems demand greater attention. In this essay, we review literature within and beyond environmental communication, charting the landscape of critical food work in our field. We then illustrate how environmental justice commitments can invigorate interdisciplinary food systems-focused communication scholarship articulating issues of, and critical responses to, injustice and inequity across the food chain. We stake an agenda for food systems communication by mapping three orientations—food system reform, justice, and sovereignty—that can assist in our critical engagements with and interventions into the food system. Ultimately, we entreat environmental communication scholars to attend to the bends, textures, and confluences of these orientations so that we may deepen our future food-related inquiries.     

“Hey Friend,Buy Green”: Social Media Use to Influence Eco-Purchasing Involvement

This study addresses the use of message carriers to convey corporate social responsibility information to promote eco-purchasing involvement. The work tests various media formats transmitted via social media. The effects of corporate vs. peer communication in a corporate social responsibility campaign in stimulating self-reported eco-purchasing involvement are indicated. The research varies communication dimensions of a fictional corporate social responsibility campaign sent through social media. Multiple media formats; new release; article; and advertisement were tested, as was the inclusion of social media persuasive sentiment. The analysis of source/format combinations and source/format/sentiment combinations found statistically significant differences for consumer-to-consumer communication in stimulating eco-purchasing involvement in certain circumstances. This research suggests an emerging role for the consumer communicator as a content co-creator and validates the effective use of articles and news releases instead of advertising on social media, yielding managerial and scholarly implications.     

非点源污染河流的水环境容量估算和分配

通过河流相应集水区内氮磷的各污染源分析(包括农地、畜禽养殖和生活排污等),利用输出系数模型估算各非点源的氮磷投(排)放量和入河量;采用河段氮磷输入-输出平衡关系分析方法,估算河流对氮磷的每月自净量.以此为基础,参照水功能区划所要求的水质目标,提出了水质未超标河段相应集水区的氮磷剩余水环境容量按月估算模型,和水质超标河段相应集水区内氮磷投放削减量的按月估算模型,及其在各污染源之间的分配方案.结果表明,长乐江的总氮和总磷自净量分别达到775.9 t·a^-1和30.9 t·a^-1,自净率分别为28.8%和51.2%.河流对氮磷的自净量不仅受水文生态条件的影响而表现出较大的季节性变化,而且随着污染负荷量本身的增加而提高.按照水功能区划中Ⅲ类水的水质要求,长乐江总氮含量全年超标;各非点源的总氮投(排)放量均须不同程度的削减,削减总量应达到1 581.0　t;氮源削减量分配结果表明,化肥是应削减的最大氮源,要求在河流相应集水区内的化肥氮投放削减量为1 047.4 t·a^-1;而与各种氮源的投排放现状相比,要求削减比例最高的是畜禽养殖的氮排放量,达32.4%.长乐江流域尚有一定的总磷剩余水环境容量(2 335.7 t·a^-1).根据目标水质要求,平水期是各污染源总氮投放需要削减的量最大的时期,丰水期则是总磷剩余水环境容量最小的时期.     

区域环境风险评价及其关键科学问题

随着环境中能够检出的有毒污染物种类不断增多,基于制定环境标准来控制有毒污染物的传统方法正在受到挑战,而环境风险评价研究已成为当前环境领域研究的热点.加强风险评价方法研究,认识区域具有潜在风险的有毒污染物环境暴露与环境效应的关系,探讨风险评价中的关键科学问题,为风险管理提供科学依据已显得尤为紧迫.综述和讨论了环境风险评价技术的发展历史和区域生态风险评价存在的科学问题,并对深入开展区域环境风险评价研究提出了建议.     

烟台市经济增长与环境污染关系实证研究——基于VAR计量技术的检验分析

利用烟台市1986～2003年问的3类环境污染指标和人均GDP数据,基于VAR计量技术,通过变量平稳性和协整检验,格兰杰因果检验,脉冲响应函数和预测方差分解分析,对经济增长与环境污染在时序维度的关系及其动态性进行了实证研究.结果显示:①人均GDP变化是导致污染物排放量变化的格兰杰原因,但污染物排放并不必然导致人均GDP变化,这与研究期间烟台市处于工业化中期阶段的事实吻合;⑦在烟台市的经济一环境系统内,倒U曲线不是一般规律,选取不同的污染指标呈现出经济-环境间关系的不同表现形式;③经济增长对环境污染的冲击影响的滞后期短且是非渐进的,而环境污染对经济增长产生显著影响的滞后期较长且是渐进的;④经济增长对环境污染指标的预测方差起着重要的作用,而环境污染指标对经济增长的预测方差的贡献度较小.建议要加强政府对环境的监控,建立起有效的产权保护体系与市场交易机制,注重环境保护和经济的可持续发展.     

规划环境影响评价项目实施有效性的评估

从管理程序、技术方法、内容设置、评价结论及规划实施的保障措施等方面,建立了评估规划环境影响评价实施有效性的指标体系,包括“早期介入、公众参与的有效性、评审制度的严格性、工作程序的合理性、评价方法的实用性、技术手段的先进性、指标体系的全面性和合理性、环境质量评价标准的有效性、累积影响评价、替代方案、评价结论的明确性、规划评价结论的有效采纳、缓解和跟踪措施”等13项指标,并在对9个规划环境影响评价案例实施有效性评估的基础上,分析了当前该领域普遍存在的问题,包括规划环境影响评价介入时机晚、替代方案较少、公众参与普遍流于形式和对累积影响考虑不够等.      

山谷型干灰场内雨水环保设计思路

针对燃煤发电厂贮灰场内雨水容易被灰渣污染的特点,以南方某电厂灰场为例,介绍了山谷型干灰场内雨水处理的环保设计思路。     

加拿大推动可持续发展战略的策略及实践

文章介绍了加拿大的简况,讨论了加拿大可持续发展的历程以及促使各政府部门将可持续发展战略落实到工作中的环境审计制度。探讨了加拿大可持续发展战略实施方面的部分经验,如向国会提交年度环境与可持续发展审计报告、工业可持续发展战略的制定及加拿大-中国的可持续发展合作等。     

EM技术及其在水环境保护中的应用研究进展

通过对EM有效微生物技术的特点、作用及在水环境保护中的应用研究进展的介绍,表明该技术应用于水环境保护中具有广阔的发展前景。