Strategic implications of counter-geoengineering: Clash or cooperation?

Solar geoengineering has received increasing attention as an option to temporarily stabilize global temperatures. A key concern is that heterogeneous preferences over the optimal amount of cooling combined with low deployment costs may allow the country with the strongest incentive for cooling, the so-called free-driver, to impose a substantial externality on the rest of the world. We analyze whether the threat of counter-geoengineering technologies capable of negating the climatic effects of solar geoengineering can overcome the free-driver problem and tilt the game in favour of international cooperation. Our game-theoretical model of countries with asymmetric preferences allows for a rigorous analysis of the strategic interaction surrounding solar geoengineering and counter-geoengineering. We find that counter-geoengineering prevents the free-driver outcome, but not always with benign effects. The presence of counter-geoengineering leads to either a climate clash where countries engage in a non-cooperative escalation of opposing climate interventions (negative welfare effect), a moratorium treaty where countries commit to abstain from either type of climate intervention (indeterminate welfare effect), or cooperative deployment of solar geoengineering (positive welfare effect). We show that the outcome depends crucially on the degree of asymmetry in temperature preferences between countries.     

Alternatives to biodiversity offsets for mitigating the effects of urbanization on stream ecosystems

Globally, offset schemes have emerged in many statutory frameworks relating to development activities, with the aim of balancing biodiversity conservation and development. Although the theory and use of biodiversity offsets in terrestrial environments is broadly documented, little attention has been paid to offsets in stream ecosystems. Here we examine the application of offset schemes to stream ecosystems and explore whether they suffer similar shortcomings to those of offset schemes focused on terrestrial biodiversity. To challenge the applicability of offsets further, we discuss typical trajectories of urban expansion and their cascading physical, chemical and biological impacts on stream ecosystems. We argue that the highly connected nature of stream ecosystems and urban drainage networks can transfer impacts of urbanization across wide areas, complicating the notion of like‐for‐like exchange and the prospect of effectively mitigating biodiversity loss. Instead, we identify in‐catchment options for stormwater control, which can avoid or minimize the impacts of development on downstream ecosystems, while presenting additional public and private benefits. We describe the underlying principles of these alternatives, some of the challenges associated with their uptake, and policy initiatives being trialed to facilitate adoption. In conclusion, we argue that stronger policies to avoid and minimize the impacts of urbanization provide better prospects for protecting downstream ecosystems, and can additionally, stimulate economic opportunities and improve urban liveability.     

Conservation geopolitics

We reviewed recent work concerning the impact of geopolitics on wildlife conservation (and vice versa) and identified future priorities in conservation geopolitics research. Geopolitics is understood as both an analytical focus on geopolitical practices (especially concerning the behavior) of countries with respect to territory and national security and a set of theories developed to explain and predict those behaviors. We developed a typology of core geopolitical practices of relevance to conservation: territorial practices of colonization and the management of migrations and borders, and security practices relating to military, economic, and environmental security. We identified research that considers how these practices affect conservation situations and outcomes, noting the recent emergence of conceptual developments such as “environmental geopolitics” and “geopolitical ecology” that draw on multiple fields within the social sciences to theorize the links between geopolitics and environmental management. We defined a "geopolitical perspective" as a focus on geopolitical practices combined with an explicit engagement with geopolitical theory and identified conservation situations where this perspective could contribute to analytical clarity. We suggest the most pressing questions in conservation research to which the geopolitical perspective might contribute are how political and economic differences between countries affect biodiversity outcomes, how geopolitical practices to address those differences facilitate or frustrate conservation efforts, how national borders and human and wildlife movements can be better managed for the benefit of both, and how the most effective conservation strategies can be best selected to suit existing (and future) geopolitical realities.     

National contributions to global ecosystem values

Current conservation templates prioritize biogeographic regions with high intensity ecosystem values, such as exceptional species richness or threat. Intensity-based targets are an important consideration in global efforts, but they do not capture all available opportunities to conserve ecosystem values, including those that accrue in low intensity over large areas. We assess six globally-significant ecosystem values—intact wilderness, freshwater availability, productive marine environments, breeding habitat for migratory wildlife, soil carbon storage, and latitudinal potential for range shift in the face of climate change—to highlight opportunities for high-impact broadly-distributed contributions to global conservation. Nations can serve as a cohesive block of policy that can profoundly influence conservation outcomes. Contributions to global ecosystem values that exceed what is predicted by a nation's area alone, can give rise to countries with the capacity to act as ‘conservation superpowers’, such as Canada and Russia. For these conservation superpowers, a relatively small number of national policies can have environmental repercussions for the rest of the world.     

Automation of a Hydrodynamic Model of the Delaware Estuary for Rapid Water Quality Simulations of Pollutant Releases

To facilitate the rapid simulation of accidental pollution releases, the Delaware River Basin Commission has developed applications which completely automate data retrieval and processing for the development of a hydrodynamic model input file, as well as running the model. Overnight, every night, the applications retrieve from the internet multiple datasets for constructing freshwater inflow and tidal boundary time series. The hydrodynamic model is run automatically, using the recently written model input file. When no release has occurred, the hydrodynamic output file is not used and is simply overwritten on the following evening, from the updated hydrodynamic model run. Automating the hydrodynamic model portion of the simulation dramatically reduces the time required to simulate the transport of an accidental release to the Delaware Estuary.     

Long‐Range Movement of Humpback Whales and Their Overlap with Anthropogenic Activity in the South Atlantic Ocean

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are managed by the International Whaling Commission as 7 primary populations that breed in the tropics and migrate to 6 feeding areas around the Antarctic. There is little information on individual movements within breeding areas or migratory connections to feeding grounds. We sought to better understand humpback whale habitat use and movements at breeding areas off West Africa, and during the annual migration to Antarctic feeding areas. We also assessed potential overlap between whale habitat and anthropogenic activities. We used Argos satellite‐monitored radio tags to collect data on 13 animals off Gabon, a primary humpback whale breeding area. We quantified habitat use for 3 cohorts of whales and used a state‐space model to determine transitions in the movement behavior of individuals. We developed a spatial metric of overlap between whale habitat and models of cumulative human activities, including oil platforms, toxicants, and shipping. We detected strong heterogeneity in movement behavior over time that is consistent with previous genetic evidence of multiple populations in the region. Breeding areas for humpback whales in the eastern Atlantic were extensive and extended north of Gabon late in the breeding season. We also observed, for the first time, direct migration between West Africa and sub‐Antarctic feeding areas. Potential overlap of whale habitat with human activities was the highest in exclusive economic zones close to shore, particularly in areas used by both individual whales and the hydrocarbon industry. Whales potentially overlapped with different activities during each stage of their migration, which makes it difficult to implement mitigation measures over their entire range. Our results and existing population‐level data may inform delimitation of populations and actions to mitigate potential threats to whales as part of local, regional, and international management of highly migratory marine species. Cuantificación de los Movimientos de Gran Amplitud y el Traslape Potencial con Actividad Antropogénica y las Ballenas Jorobadas en el Océano Atlántico Sur     

1株溶藻菌的部分生物学特性及溶鱼腥藻作用

从淡水湖泊(武汉东湖)水样中成功筛选出1株具有溶藻特性的细菌,编号为A01.显微镜和电镜观察结果表明,菌株A01形态为杆状,长约1.5μm,宽约0.45μm,无鞭毛结构.革兰氏染色及16S rDNA的分子鉴定结果表明,该菌呈革兰氏阴性,属于不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter sp.).溶藻实验结果表明,菌株A01能有效溶解鱼腥藻(Anabaena eucompacta),向对数生长的鱼腥藻藻液中加入A01培养上清或菌体、并培养7 d后,鱼腥藻培养液的叶绿素a去除率分别为77%和61%.显微观察结果表明,与菌株A01的培养上清共培养3 d后的鱼腥藻细胞几乎都被破坏,而与菌体共孵育5 d后的鱼腥藻细胞才有明显裂解.这些结果表明,不动杆菌菌株A01的溶藻作用主要与其培养上清中的有效成分有关,不动杆菌菌株A01可分泌能有效溶解鱼腥藻的活性物质.     

内河多点分散码头大气污染叠加影响特征

港口码头大气污染主要为扬尘污染,包括装卸扬尘、道路扬尘、料堆扬尘和裸土扬尘.单个码头和多个分散码头扬尘大气污染在区域特征上具有较大的差异性.以山东济宁港为例,探讨内河港口多点、分散码头的大气面源污染叠加影响,以期为系统评价港口大气污染提供技术支撑.研究表明,内河港口的码头源强小、分布散,对区域空气环境质量总体影响有限,但对港区分布区域的几何中心位置叠加影响最为严重.在不考虑大范围高空气象条件差异和变化时,ADMS模型在预测较大范围内多个污染源的叠加影响方面仍具有较好的适用性.     

高岭土对淡水藻类的聚合氯化铝强化混凝去除技术研究

以温州市内桌一富营养化水体为研究对象,考察本地粘土矿物高岭土联合聚合氯化铝（PAC）混凝沉降工艺的除藻效能,并获得处理工艺的最佳条件,为恢复河流水体生态自净功能提供理论基础。试验结果表明,PAC最佳投加量为40mg／L;高岭土的最优投加方式为在混凝剂PAC前5rain投加;其最佳投加量为3g／L;最佳搅拌方式为200rpm搅拌4min;最佳静置时间为20min;在酸性或中性水体的处理效果尤佳。     

国际贸易实务教学内容的探讨

《国际贸易实务》是一门专门研究国际间商品交换具体过程的学科,是一门具有涉外活动特点的实践性很强的综合性应用科学。本文对《国际贸易实务》的教学内容进行了一些探讨,主要包括:正确处理《国际贸易实务》与其它相关课程之间的关系;按照业务流程调整教学内容的结构安排;合理安排理论教学与实践教学的比例;不断更新教学内容;突出教学重点与难点;树立风险防范意识,有效防范风险。