The US Clean Water Act and habitat replacement: evaluation of mitigation sites in Orange County,California, USA

Both permit requirements and ecological assessments have been used to evaluate mitigation success. This analysis combines these two approaches to evaluate mitigation required under Section 404 of the United States Clean Water Act (CWA) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, which allow developers to provide compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to wetlands. This study reviewed permit files and conducted field assessments of mitigation sites to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation required by the US Army Corps of Engineers for all permits issued in Orange County, California from 1979 through 1993. The 535 permit actions approved during this period allowed 157 ha of impacts. Mitigation was required on 70 of these actions, with 152 ha of enhanced, restored, and created habitat required for 136 ha of impacts. In 15 permit actions, no mitigation project was constructed, but in only two cases was the originally permitted project built; the two cases resulted in an unmitigated loss of 1.6 ha. Of the remaining 55 sites, 55% were successful at meeting the permit conditions while 11% failed to do so. Based on a qualitative assessment of habitat quality, only 16% of the sites could be considered successful and 26% were considered failures. Thus, of the 126 ha of habitat lost due to the 55 projects, only 26 ha of mitigation was considered successful. The low success rate was not due to poor enforcement, although nearly half of the projects did not comply with all permit conditions. Mitigation success could best be improved by requiring mitigation plans to have performance standards based on habitat functions.     

减灾行为社会化是防洪减灾战略转移的必然方向——美国防洪减灾战略的转移和演进

无论是工程措施还是非工程措施,它们对防御洪水、减轻灾害都是必须的。但是,任何手段都不可能制止洪水灾害,人类可以达到的目标只是减轻水灾损失,而各种减灾措施能够达到的实际效益决定于社会对它们的支持程度。作者研究了美国７０年代以来防洪战略转移的历史进程,认为当此世纪之交,我国的防洪战略应更加注意政策导向,以增强国家防洪主管部门行使管理职权的权威性,并推动地方政府、社会各部门逐级分担防洪减灾责任。     

论减灾效益

本文揭示了减灾效益的各种类型与形式。从其生命力、重要性、可见度、内容、行－效关系等各方面探讨了减灾效益之特征、规律、相互关系及各类效益在效益体系中的功用与地位。识效之全面而后可及识效益关系，效益生、运机理之全，进而可提高优化设计减灾系统的可能性。     

A MERGE Model with Endogenous Technological Progress

We have developed a new version of the MERGE model, called MERGE-ETL, to analyse the dynamics of endogenous technological learning (ETL) in the energy system. This paper describes the basic formulation of MERGE-ETL, the solving techniques used for this model and some first numerical results in the context of policies designed to mitigate global climate changes.     

Current status and expected future trends in dust explosion research

In spite of extensive research and development for more than 100 years to prevent and mitigate dust explosions in the process industries, this hazard continues to threaten industries that manufacture, use and/or handle powders and dusts of combustible materials. Lack of methods for predicting real dust cloud structures and flame propagation processes has been a major obstacle to prediction of course and consequences of dust explosions in practice. However, work at developing comprehensive numerical simulation models for solving these problems is now on its way. This requires detailed experimental and theoretical studies of the physics and chemistry of dust cloud generation and combustion. The present paper discusses how this kind of work will promote the development of means for prevention and mitigation of dust explosions in practice. However, progress in other areas will also be discussed, e.g. ignition prevention. The importance of using inherently safe process design, building on knowledge in powder science and technology, and of systematic education/training of personnel, is also emphasized.     

滨海电厂的景观美化与生态环境建设

以拟建的深圳某电厂为研究对象，从美化景观、生态环境改善、水土保持、防灾浅灾、提高人与自然的亲和性等角度出发，提出了具体的绿化、美化建设方案。     

基于利益相关群体的碳减排策略与潜力分析——以苏州市为例

本研究基于苏州市低碳试点工作实施方案,识别了苏州市重点减排领域,采用国家温室气体排放清单,估算了苏州"十二五"(2011—2015)期间碳排放量,并利用情景分析法预测了2016—2025年基准情景和综合减排情景碳排放趋势,分析了各重点排放领域减排贡献率。在此基础上,将减排策略按照自愿、监管、自愿与监管相结合的方式分别从不同利益相关群体进行梳理,分析不同群体减排潜力。结果表明:(1) 2015年,苏州市碳排放量约为2.35亿吨,2011—2015年,重点排放领域为工业能源消耗、建筑、交通、电力行业。(2)采用综合减排方案能在2020年左右达到峰值,之后缓慢下降,但交通部门碳排放仍有一定增加。(3)碳减排策略由多个利益相关群体共同作用产生减排贡献。对苏州市低碳试点方案的分析表明,当地政策制定者的减排贡献最高,其后是基础设施建设者和运营者,最后是基础设施使用者。     

基于GIS的城市火灾风险评价及其在防灾规划中的应用

随着经济发展和城市化进程的不断加快,城市火灾事故不断增多,造成的人员伤亡和财产损失也越来越严重。本文通过构建城市火灾风险评价指标体系,利用GIS中的空间分析功能对各指标体系按其权重进行叠加,得出城市的现状火灾风险等级区划图。根据风险评价现状确定防灾减灾规划的目标,采取相应的防灾减灾措施,并对规划后的火灾风险状况进行了预测,得出规划后的火灾风险等级,从而为消防和规划部门减少和预防城市火灾提供依据和参考。     

Consumption-based emissions accounting: the normative debate

ABSTRACT

The normative debate surrounding consumption-based emissions accounting, conceived of as a method for constructing national emissions inventories, is investigated. The focus is to examine whether such accounting would be more just than the current method of production-based accounting. It is argued that there is no good reason to think that consumption-based accounting would be less just, and some reason to think that it would be more just. The consequences of this for the overall question of whether to adopt consumption-based accounting are also investigated.     

Overview of a combined computational–experimental evaluation for the assessment of panoramic sunroof impact characteristics for ejection mitigation

Abstract

Objective: To meet increasing customer demand, many vehicle manufacturers are now offering a panoramic sunroof option in their vehicle lineup. Currently, there is no regulatory or consumer test aimed at assessing the potential for ejection mitigation of roof glazing, which leaves manufacturers to develop internal performance standards to guide designs. The goal of this study was to characterize the variety of occupant-to-roof impacts involving unbelted occupants in rollover crashes to determine the ranges of possible effective masses and impact velocities. This information can be used to define occupant retention requirements and performance criteria for roof glazing in occupant ejection protection.

Methods: This study combined computational (MADYMO and LS-Dyna) simulations of occupant kinematics in rollover crashes with laboratory rollover crash tests using the dynamic rollover test system (DRoTS) and linked them through controlled anthropomorphic test device (ATD)-to-roof (“drop”) impact tests. The DRoTS and the ATD drop tests were performed to explore impact scenarios and estimate dummy-to-roof impact impulses. Next, 13 sets of vehicle kinematics and deformation data were extracted from a combination of vehicle dynamics and finite element model simulations that reconstructed variations of rollover crash cases from the field data. Then occupant kinematics data were extracted from a full-factorial sensitivity study that used MADYMO simulations to investigate how changes in anthropometry and seating position would affect occupant–roof impacts across all 13 cases. Finite element (FE) simulations of ATD and Global Human Body Models Consortium (GHBMC) human body model (HBM) roof impacts were performed to investigate the most severe cases from the MADYMO simulations to generate a distribution of head-to-roof impact energies.

Results: From the multiparameter design of experiment and experimental study, kinematics and energy output were extracted and analyzed. Based on dummy-to-roof impact force and dummy-to-roof impact velocity, the most severe rollover scenarios were identified. In the DRoTS experiments followed by the drop tests, the range of identified impact velocities was between 2 and 5.8 m/s. However, computational simulations of the rollover crashes showed higher impact velocities and similar effective masses. The largest dummy-to-roof impact velocity was 11 m/s.

Conclusions: This study combined computational and experimental analyses to determine a range of possible unbelted occupant-to-roof impact energies. These results can be used to determine design parameters for an impactor for the assessment of the risk of roof glazing ejection for unbelted occupants in rollover crashes.