Towards global phosphorus security: a systems framework for phosphorus recovery and reuse options

Human intervention in the global phosphorus cycle has mobilised nearly half a billion tonnes of the element from phosphate rock into the hydrosphere over the past half century. The resultant water pollution concerns have been the main driver for sustainable phosphorus use (including phosphorus recovery). However the emerging global challenge of phosphorus scarcity with serious implications for future food security, means phosphorus will also need to be recovered for productive reuse as a fertilizer in food production to replace increasingly scarce and more expensive phosphate rock. Through an integrated and systems framework, this paper examines the full spectrum of sustainable phosphorus recovery and reuse options (from small-scale low-cost to large-scale high-tech), facilitates integrated decision-making and identifies future opportunities and challenges for achieving global phosphorus security. Case studies are provided rather than focusing on a specific technology or process. There is no single solution to achieving a phosphorus-secure future: in addition to increasing phosphorus use efficiency, phosphorus will need to be recovered and reused from all current waste streams throughout the food production and consumption system (from human and animal excreta to food and crop wastes). There is a need for new sustainable policies, partnerships and strategic frameworks to develop renewable phosphorus fertilizer systems for farmers. Further research is also required to determine the most sustainable means in a given context for recovering phosphorus from waste streams and converting the final products into effective fertilizers, accounting for life cycle costs, resource and energy consumption, availability, farmer accessibility and pollution.     

基于DPSIR概念模型的农业可持续发展宏观分析

DPSIR概念模型继承了PSR模型的优点，是分析评估环境系统有效工具，本文以DPISR概念模型为指导，系统分析了农业业系统的现状，塑造这一现状的驱动力和压力，探讨了农业对于互不干涉和人类健康的影响，以及实现农业可持续发展的政策响应，目的是建立农业可持续发展的指标体系和实现农业资源的优化配置，本文认为DPSIR概念模型有利于分析复杂系统的因果关系，能有效整合资源开发，环境保护和经济发展。     

试论统计学理论在安全经济分析中的应用

近年来安全经济学作为一个新兴学科得到了较大程度的发展,但是仍处于初创阶段,定量分析技术和方法亟待提高和完善。随着社会经济统计学的发展以及安全经济理论的不断成熟,经济统计学理论在处理安全生产问题中逐渐显示出其优越性。通过分析统计理论在安全经济分析中的作用和意义,提出了安全经济统计分析研究的主要内容和体系,阐述了安全经济统计分析的理论基础,为安全经济统计方法论的构建奠定了基础。     

突发事件应急决策模拟演练设计理论框架与技术要点

突发事件应急决策模拟演练是提升参演主体应急处置能力的重要途径，该类演练的设计开发需要系统性的理论与技术进行规范和引导。从实践归纳的角度，将该类演练的设计划分为演练内容设计和演练形式开发2部分，详尽地分析演练内容设计中的4个核心要素（主题与目标、演练情景、演练任务和目标能力）和演练形式开发中的3项关键技术（控制流程、任务导入与方案输出、信息技术平台）。此外，着重介绍了突发事件应急决策模拟演练设计开发过程中容易混淆的几组概念关系，即“情景构建与应急演练的关系”、“应急预案与应急演练的关系”、“演练内容与演练形式的关系”、“演练中‘演’与‘练’的关系”。     

Participatory development of incentives to coexist with jaguars and pumas

Reducing costs and increasing benefits for rural communities coexisting with large carnivores is necessary for conservation of jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor). To design acceptable incentives, stakeholders must be involved in the process. We conducted an innovative, structured, group communication process based on a Delphi technique as a template for identifying potential incentives. Community workshops with 133 members of 7 communities and surveys with 25 multidisciplinary experts from government, nongovernmental organizations, and academia provided iterative data to design a plan of incentives through 4 rounds of discussion. The final product integrated 862 ideas into 6 types of incentives: organization of communities, mechanisms for improved dialogue, citizen technical assistance, green labeling for community products, payment for the ecosystem service of biodiversity, and an assessment of financial alternatives. We used quantitative and qualitative techniques to indicate support for decisions about the design of incentives, which reduced researcher subjectivity. The diverse incentives developed and the cooperation from multiple stakeholders resulted in an incentive plan that integrated issues of governance, equity, and social norms.     

The relevance of physical forces on land-use change and planning process

This study analysed the importance of physical forces on land-use change, on the planning framework in a Portuguese periurban area. A temporal matrix showing the trajectories of land transformation was obtained. A multivariate redundancy analysis explored the importance of physical parameters on temporal and spatial land-use change. A content analysis on urban or municipal master plans was made framing the importance of physical parameters on the planning process. The results highlighted a consistent trajectory of profound land-use changes with distinctive trajectories, with increasingly complex patterns with a limited dependence on physical variables. The trajectories were more related to the planning framework, where political actors and planning managers seemed to be most important. A theoretical model balancing three main components – physical forces, actors, and land transformation (DFA-C model) is proposed, reflecting the informal relationships between physical parameters and actors during the planning process.     

Green Lean Six Sigma implementation framework: a case of reducing graphite and dust pollution

ABSTRACT

Modern organisations are in search of initiatives which will enable them to be sustainable as well as gain a competitive advantage. Lean, Six Sigma and Green initiatives are some of the widely used tools which aid the organisation to be sustainable. Recent studies have suggested that the integration of Green and Lean Six Sigma (LSS) will create a powerful methodology and help organisations to be sustainable. Yet, many organisations have found it difficult due to the lack of a generic implementation framework, which can be used for any processes and cultural context. The purpose of this study is to answer the research question: how to implement a sustainable Green LSS initiative in the organisation. Through a critical analysis of previous literature, an implementation framework is developed and practically implemented through a case study to reduce the graphite and dust pollution in a mine in India. Within case analysis, it is conducted to develop propositions, future research directions and managerial implications. This is a first study to develop and practically test a generic implementation Green LSS framework.     

Examining the impacts of disaster resettlement from a livelihood perspective: a case study of Qinling Mountains,China

Disaster resettlement, as a mitigation and preparedness measure, entails significant economic, physical, and social impacts, which continue to challenge understanding of recovery from major events, especially regarding the extent of the context and environmental efforts to rebuild livelihoods. Based on a case study of Qinling Mountains, China, this research investigates the effects of disaster resettlement from a livelihoods perspective. Methodologically, it proposes a framework that combines the pressure–state–response framework and the sustainable livelihoods approach, and it employs a structural equation model to examine how specific factors affect disaster resettlement. The results indicate that conflicts may occur during and after resettlement owing to the difference or disparity between the concerns of resettled peasants and those of the government. Consequently, the risks related to livelihoods need to be taken seriously. Effective risk communication is critical to bridge the gap between different stakeholders. The paper concludes with some practical and policy recommendations.     

A framework to guide the conservation of species hybrids based on ethical and ecological considerations

Species hybrids have long been undervalued in conservation and are often perceived as a threat to pure species. Recently, the conservation value of hybrids, especially those of natural origin, has gained recognition; however, hybrid conservation remains controversial. We reviewed hybrid management policies, including laws, regulations, and management protocols, from a variety of organizations, primarily in Canada and the United States. We found that many policies are based on limited ethical and ecological considerations and provide little opportunity for hybrid conservation. In most policies, hybrids are either unrepresented or considered a threat to conservation goals. This is problematic because our review of the hybrid conservation literature identified many ethical and ecological considerations relevant to determining the conservation value of a hybrid, all of which are management‐context specific. We also noted a lack of discussion of the ethical considerations regarding hybrid conservation. Based on these findings, we created a policy framework outlining situations in which hybrids could be eligible for conservation in Canada and the United States. The framework comprises a decision tree that helps users determine whether a hybrid should be eligible for conservation based on multiple ecological and ethical considerations. The framework may be applied to any hybrid and is flexible in that it accommodates context‐specific management by allowing different options if a hybrid is a threat to or could benefit conservation goals. The framework can inform policy makers and conservationists in decision‐making processes regarding hybrid conservation by providing a systematic set of decision criteria and guidance on additional criteria to be considered in cases of uncertainty, and it fills a policy gap that limits current hybrid management.     

No Sustainability without Technical,Fiscal and Social Innovation

Abstract

Migration process has become increasingly important in recent research on population and the environment. A majority of the existing migration and environment literature has focused on the environmental causes and determinants of migration. With the largest rural-to-urban migration flow in world history, and growing concerns about the environmental problems accompanying its fast economic development, China provides a particularly important case for migration and environment research. This paper reviews major migration theories and recent research on environmental effects on migration, with specific attention to the influences of environmental factors on rural-to-urban labor migration in China. A comprehensive multilevel conceptual framework is developed for studying the environmental causes of rural-to-urban migration in China. The effects of land resources on household labor migration decisions in rural China are explored to illustrate the application of this framework.